The Trinity would be fashionably late. They wouldn’t be them if they didn’t take their time to arrive at a party that wasn’t thrown by one of their own. Oh, and there is this unspoken rule that if the Queen Bee is not directly throwing the event, she can arrive whenever she deems fit since it is her right. By the snacks table, Niles McMillan, the head geek, regretting having said yes to Alba to come to this shitshow, stuffed his face with gummy bears before someone with a camera approached him. Both he and this stranger glanced over at the entrance by the woods only for them to freeze in silence at the arrival of the infamous “Unholy Trinity”. It was one thing to see them by themselves walking down the hall, but when they were together… the intensity of their superiority was at it’s all time peak. The mysterious, camera guy brought his attention back to the geek before asking about the icons of Beverly Hills High, “What is this for?” Niles grabbed his cup of rum and coke to clear his candy filled mouth as he waited for a reply.

Nodding his head as he listened to the kid-he-did-not-know announce he was working on a ‘documentary’ for his film class, Niles shrugged and glanced back over to the ruling women, “Ever since Eve transferred last year those three have been inseparable. Some dope called them the ‘Unholy Trinity’ because if you get on their bad side… well. Might as well start planning your funeral now.” He took another sip, a bit confused that out of all the people he was the one being asked questions. Where was Alba when he needed her?! “Eh-hem. Off the record.” The camera guy directed the sound and lenses toward the hustle and bustle of the party before Niles continued what he was saying, “I’d like to think of those three like… succubi! They’re so goddamn gorgeous that it intimidates the hell out of me and 10/10 they could and would kill you. Granted… girls scare me.” He paused and shuddered at his many encounters with the opposite sex, “Oh-oh-oh. Don’t get me started with their REPS. That makes it all the more worse. You know that movie… Mean Girls? They’re ALL Regina Georges. Maybe one day they’ll find their Gretchen and Karen but jesus. That’s too much ‘woman’ for me, or anyone for that matter, to handle.”

Directing the camera’s perspective back to the socially awk kid, the stranger asked for him to elaborate about the girls’ reputations but for the camera. Niles started sweating from all the attention he was getting from this one guy, “I guess I’ll start with Evelyn Harding… lead vocalist of East of Eden. God, she got a set of pipes to die for, but for someone who has such a… bewitching performance on stage. Yes. Yes, I’ve been to one of her concerts. She’s unsettlingly quiet. To think she’s the most ‘approachable’ of the three and that’s saying something... Baffles me to no end. If you want to get to Audrey or more importantly, Her Majesty Alyssa.” His tone subconsciously shifted to that of a bad English accent when he said the Queen Bee’s name before grabbing some chips and crunching on ‘em. With his mouth full of doritos, he continued, “You have to go through her first… but yeah. Her rep. I guess…” He paused and contemplated what Eve was known for, “She made her face known hella fast on school grounds. Within the first week she became the head of her clique. I don’t know much of her ‘scary’ deeds since I try to stay in the dark about that but hey! She liked my manga. And I’d like to think I’m cool in her book.”

His void brown orbs trailed from one sovereign of their own to the next, “Now. The Dancing Queen, Audrey Huntsberg. You see, Eve is hard to pin because of how… mysterious she is, but Audrey. Nope. Nope. Nope. She is what you see. If it wasn’t for my girl, I mean not mine..., if it weren’t for Alba, my friend, yeah. Friend. I would be dead right now! Like people can’t help but be drawn to her, like a magnet, but one wrong word, one wrong move, and to the guillotines you go! I mean, she’s worth the admiration. She knows what she wants and she’ll get what she wants at any cost. Daughter of the best plastic surgeon in the nation and that sexy dancer Elisabetta, heard of her?” He did a little groove like the dork he was before chuckling, “Audrey is Alba’s idol, so she can’t be ALL that scary… right?” He laughed nervously before adding, “It takes a smart girl to be where she is today… even if I want to die when I’m near her....” Noticing his drink was basically gone, having taken large gulps as he talked about these girls, he went to go fetch some more. It was time for the grand finale!

As he poured more coke than rum into his plastic cup, his gaze searched for the rightful Matriarch of the school, “Alyssa Green. Filthy-fucking-rich. And should have been dubbed the ‘Queen Bee’ rather than Dom from the get-go… the old Queen fucked up because guess who’s gonna run the school now? Alyssa gets what she wants, that’s for sure.” Holding his finger up to have one moment to himself, Niles took a long gulp of his drink. Man, this camera guy was such a buzz kill. “A Queen needs to assert her dominance. Dom just kinda… faded in the crowd. I’m sorry but if there was anyone that had that royal aura going for her and that ‘don’t fuck with me’ attitude... it would be Alyssa. She got it all! Beauty. Brains. Influence. Power. Like FUCK she got a butler that’s always near her and I’m PRETTY SURE he could fucking break your damn skull if you upset her. Either way.” He noticed Alba beckoning him to dance floor, so he tried to wrap things up, “One day she’s gonna own her dad’s massive media and technology empire. She knows she’s the best and she doesn’t really need to change people’s mind because… it’s true. If you deny what you see, you’re just lying to yourself Now if you’ll excuse me..” The geek handed his drink to the stranger with the camera before meeting up with his ‘friend’.

Sitting on the right side of Alyssa, who was this year’s Sovereign, Evelyn stared out the car window while holding a glass of whiskey sour, one of the many drinks she prefers. Hours prior to this, Eve spent her time consoling and comforting her other best friend, Audrey. Getting the title, best friend, was not an easy feat but somehow in the course of a year, the Dancing Queen slipped into the spiteful singer’s soul. Alyssa, on the other hand, knew Eve ever since they were toddlers. Perks of their fathers knowing each other. Fortunately for Alyssa, the bodacious blonde didn’t have to deal with the songstress’ spiked barriers. Something that the Raven has yet to realize was how attached she was already to both these girls, especially her childhood friend.

Rewinding to Monday morning, when Audrey was going to tell her about the grand Hard Rock Cafe exploit, the man she was going to speak about appeared before them and gave her a naughty wink. At first, the songstress brushed off that flirtatious gesture because who wouldn’t tease Audrey? She was divine. Once Eve’s dear dancing companion pulled her to the side and spilled her heart out, she couldn’t help but tilt her head at the thought that Audrey, her Audrey, allowed herself to slip. The girl who knew what she wanted out of life and would burn the world to achieve her goals made, what the dancer believed to be, a mistake. The main thought that coursed through Eve’s mind was: That guy. Was he the guy? The one who said: ‘Give daddy a call’.

Of course, this could have been her overanalyzing the scene. For the most part, Eve kept silent as her friend told her all the details of how phenomenal this guy was at sex and how conflicted she was with her feelings because not only was the guy himself a lower tier student on the ladder, but she was impressed by his ‘talent’. A smirk did grace the Raven’s face with how passionate Audrey was with her ravenous desire to drop her panties and her craving as she reminisced about the deed and how they did it everywhere in and on his car. And most definitely continued where they left off at the motel.

Within time, Audrey finally pointed out the boy and confirmed Eve’s assumptions. Oh, Troy Blake, you dog. The ebony haired woman let her hazel orbs gently lock with her friend’s gaze, a softer side that only a select few people bore witnessed to, and with her effortless, silvery, voice, she stated: Let’s look at this more like you did what you wanted and turned his world upside down. He obviously needs another taste, so that shows someone like Troy can’t resist you, hun. I see this more as a wild adventure, don’t you think? You’re still the Audrey I know and love, you’re just dancing on the edge. Nothing wrong with that. Oh and if this blows over, you know I’ll protect you but until then, have fun. You know you want to.

Coming back to present time, Eve glanced down at her glass and realized she had drank it all in less than two minutes. One thing that the singer saved for last was her cherries. Bringing the glass to her luscious lips, she let her tongue curl around the cherry until in her mouth it went. The car had come to a halt in front of Audrey’s house.

After hearing from security that her best friends were already outside waiting for her, a pouting Audrey walked out of the Huntsberg Villa and stepped inside the luxurious vehicle, thanking Alyssa’s butler Logan for holding the door open for her even if it was his job. Audrey had spent the better part of that past week between classes, dance team practices and her own private dancing practices. But yet, even after being and keeping so occupied, her thoughts wandered back to that July night and to the man she’d spent that night with. Troy and Audrey had crossed each other’s paths down the halls of Beverly Hills High; an inevitable thing considering they were in the same grade. Most times Audrey was able to successfully avoid him by turning back and walking to wherever she was going down some other path, but the few times she was forced to confront him he would always do some sort of gesture at her: winking at her, biting his lower lip, or even going as far as to licking his lips. Though on the outside Audrey scoffed, rolled her eyes and pretended he was just a speck of dirt on her shoes, the truth of the matter was that she had been waiting for that text of his in which he told her just how much he wanted a repeat of that night. She wasn’t gonna go around texting him to smash like some desperate woman. But the days kept passing by, his gestures kept happening but no text arrived on her cel, and Audrey grew frustrated about the fact that it seemed she was waaaaaaaay more into him than he was into her. She’d seemingly lost all control of the situation, and that made her furious. Though this party Eve and Alyssa had practically forced her to go to could provide a distraction, it could also provide another chance for Audrey and Troy to encounter each other. And in all honestly, Audrey was afraid of how that might go.

“Ugh, I still don’t understand why I have to go to this stupid lower-class party,” she said in her usual snobbish tone, placing her small shoulder bag in her lap and looking at Alyssa, who was sitting right across from her. “Like. honestly. Couldn’t you two manage without me? I mean, don’t get me wrong: I love you, Lyssy. But I’ve had a long day and just week in general with practice and the sort, and all I wanted was to stay home and sleep, because God only knows how unusually tired I’ve been these days.

Alyssa looked Audrey up and down as Butler opened the door for her, clicking her tongue absently. ”Necessary evil, unfortunately. Do you think I want to go to this? I’ve much better things to do, you know. I could be sitting at home, eating strawberries and watching silly cat videos on YouTube, for example. But alas, the position I’m in sometimes requires me to interact with the, ah… Butler, how did I describe them? I said something rather good before tea this morning.” Alyssa asked the man was he sat down in the driver’s seat, adjusting the rear view mirror slightly as Alyssa sipped at the drink in her hand--dry whiskey, no chaser, of course. What? Alyssa was an alcoholic, not a Barbie doll.

”A ludicrous parcel of driveling galoots, ma’am.” The man responded in his dry, monotonous voice, while Audrey couldn’t help but snort with a smirk on her face.

”There you go, poetry. Make an appearance, smile, wave, leave. That’s all, darling.” Alyssa waved her hand as she reached into the cooler built into the center console, withdrawing a plate of strawberries. ”I thought ahead and packed snacks for you two. Yes, I know, I’m amazing. Don’t flatter me--I do it enough myself.” She explained, popping one of the large fruits into her mouth.

”Alcohol too, if you’re in the mood. And who isn’t in the mood? Alcohol is delicious. Burns so good.”

At the mention of alcohol, Audrey wrinkled her nose as if she’d smelled something unpleasant. “I’ll pass. The smell of alcohol simply nauseates me these days.” the brown-haired woman said, tucking a strand of her wavy locks behind her ear. Just the other day she’d ventured into the kitchen when their chef was making some kind of wine sauce for dinner that night, and when the crimson liquid hit the pan and its alcoholic vapors filled the whole kitchen, Audrey had rushed away to the nearest bathroom to puke her guts out. “As for the snacks, I’ll most certainly be indulging. I’m starving.” Having said this, Audrey reached out to pick a strawberry out of her blonde friend’s plate, but making sure to pick just one. Heaven forbid anyone take Alyssa’s strawberries. She’d rip your head off.

The silent one of the trio simply observed her friends with more alcohol in her glass, but this time without lemon juice and sugar vigorously with ice. Like Alyssa, Evelyn too was an alcoholic but her reasons differed. Moving the liquid around in her hand, the singer decided to chime in, “How darling of you, but Lyssa-love, you know better than most I’m fine with just--”” The only time Eve sounded prim and proper was in front of Alyssa, more as a form of teasing than anything. She lifted her glass up to show that all she needed was alcohol, especially because they each had to deal with this… party. “But the main reason we have to go is to see if the Aspen boy is worth our time.” This caused her to remember another Monday event when Jade and Jackson approached her and told her about the very event she and her girls were heading towards. Resting her drink on her leg, while still holding it, Eve sighed, “I ‘fear’” No, she doesn’t fear, “His friends will be the ruin of him. He has so much potential and yet surrounded by such… nuisances.” When the scene kid and punk approached Eve it turned into Jackson blurting out, in an untasteful manner, that he loved her and then someone she deemed as ‘eh, alright’ (Jade) had the audacity to ask her to perform at this party. The annoyance was quite visible on the serpent woman’s face. Since Rhett is being considered as King, although let’s be honest, Connor suits the position more, Alyssa and her best friends had to make an appearance. Even if it was going to annoy the hell out of...what did Jade call her again? ‘The resident metalhead’.

”Correct! Good job, Eve, as observant as always. We’re going to pick Rhett right out of that friend group and we’re going to put him in ours. We’ll tweak him moderately at most, more likely just tiny ones--for example, he needs to stop saying the word money. Honestly. Could probably do to ‘dress for success,’ as the unsuccessful say. Not like he just googled ‘how to look like a hoodrat’ and followed the first Google image result to a t.” Alyssa drummed her fingers on the rim of her glass, shaking her head as she took a gander out the window. ”Parties. How far I’ve fallen. Beach parties, no less I might as well turn in my jewelry and become a veritable beach bum at this rate.”.

Audrey had watched her friends’ exchange in silence, staring at the world outside roll past the tinted windows as if she was the star of one of those depressing music videos of the early 2000’s. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't forget him. Troy had implanted herself in her brain like a parasite, and was slowly consuming her every thought and emotion. Why, just why hadn’t this freaking rebel texted her yet?! What could possibly be more important to him than the chance of screwing with one of the top three main bitches of Beverly Hills High? Audrey didn’t know, and she let out an audible sigh of frustration.

Alyssa stared at Audrey as she seemed to be absent and didn’t seem to ‘have her head in the game,’ as the saying went. Lyssa popped another one of the succulent strawberries into her mouth and thought for a moment before she spoke. ”Audrey, where is your mind? And don’t break my heart and say Troy Blake. Differences in class aside, the boy is devilishly attractive, and I’m sure he fucks like a tiger, but stay with us here. In reality. Where you aren’t obsessing over a young man you’re going to bump into for your high school years, then never see again. Ever.”

Lost in thought as she was, Audrey gave a small, startled jump when Alyssa addressed her. At the question of where her mind was at, Audrey raised a perfectly plucked dark brown arch at her as if saying ‘where do you think?’, and when her friend mentioned the name of the man who was causing her such distraction Audrey gave her a cross between a smile and a grimace.

Audrey let out another sigh, making puppy dog eyes at Alyssa. She knew her friend was absolutely right. That didn’t mean that the mind of stubborn Audrey was willing to come to terms with that truth so easily. “Lyssy, I know. Trust me, I know. But there’s just something about that Troy Blake that just gets me, you know? When I was with him that night, I had no inhibitions, and felt so damn free and careless and just amazing... He makes me feel things no guy ever has before. I mean, I have it clear in my mind that he’s obviously just gonna be this guy I hooked up with a few times, because you guys know I wouldn’t be caught dead dating someone like him. But he’s just SO SEXY!!! And knowing how damn stubborn I am I know I won’t rest until I see if what happened between us that night was because of the alcohol or because he really does make me feel all these things.” Having said this, Audrey gave yet another sigh (she seemed to be doing a lot of those lately) and stuffed her face with another one of Alyssa’s strawberries. “Sorry Lyss, but I really need some food right now. Couldn’t we have made a quick stop at like In N’ Out or something? I’m dyiiiiiiingggggggggggg!” she dramatically whined.

Out of the blue, the young woman was suddenly overcome with an incredible thirst. She desperately looked around at the unattractive selection of juices until her eyes set on one that she now had a craving for: the half-gallon of pineapple juice. Without wasting any time, Audrey grabbed the plastic container by the handle, opened it and proceeded to drink from it straight out of the container. She chugged the juice as if she’d never had a drink in her life -a small portion of it dripping from the sides of her mouth and onto her chest- and draining it in record time. When not even a drop of juice was left, Audrey took the container away from her lips, placed it on the nearby trash can and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Oh my God, I really needed that!” was the only thing she said, a triumphant smile on her face.

“Wow. That’s me after a concert but with booze.” Eve lost count with how many glasses of random concoctions she’s made for herself while her companions discussed Audrey’s infatuation with the rebel. Opening the fridge, Eve grabbed a container of blueberries and snacked on some in silence, still observing Audrey in amazement. Laying the container on her lap and her glass in it’s holder, Eve searched for her spare towel (they were going to a beach - It was always good to make precautions) and gently tossed it to her, “Someone needs to keep hydrated.”

”One, that’s disgusting, don’t drink like that you look like a slob. Two, no we can’t go to an In N’ Out, I make too much money for that. Three, no more strawberries. Butler has some chocolates in my bag, just eat those. Four, Troy is not that attractive. Attractive? Yes. Attractive to the point of obsession? ...no. Just have sex with one of the football team players, they’re generally good for it.” Alyssa shook her head as she looked at her friend.

Audrey gave Eve a kiss on the cheek as a thank you for the towel, and as she wiped her chin and chest with the daintiness she had been lacking just moments before she half-listened to Alyssa chastise her about the way she’d drank the juice, the food she’d wanted to eat, how there would be no more strawberries for her and how Troy wasn’t that hot. Audrey completely ignored all of the previous comments before the Troy mention (except the chocolate comment, of course, because it was a given that Audrey would NOT be passing out on some cocoa goodness). “Lyssy, please. I’ve already been with Connor, and everyone knows he’s top quality and as high as you can get when it comes to the football boys.” she replied, taking a glance at the towel to see if any damage was done and grunting when she saw the unmistakeable stain of foundation on it. “Shit. I’ve wiped my make-up off of half my face! Now I need to retouch before we get there!” Now that was a good question. How much longer did they have before they reached their destination? Audrey reached out to the driver’s seat and gently tapped Butler’s shoulder in search of an answer. “Hey, Butler. Sorry to bother you, but can you please tell us if we still have a long way to the party or not?’

”We’re nearly there, madams.”

”Thank you, Butler.”

^{Refer to the beginning of the collab for their arrival.}

This was not part of her plan. And Alyssa hated it.

After she’d slipped away from her friends, she’d planned to simple tug the host away from whatever he was doing and have a talk with him. Simple, easy. What she didn’t expect was fucking Connor. That little bastard, ruining everything. Again. As he tended to do…

The person that had pulled Rhett away from the girl he was speaking to was none other than the cream of the crop, the queen of the school: Alyssa Green. She pulled him off to the side, ducking away from the crowd and clasping her hands together. ”Hello, Rhett. Wonderful party, We need to talk. Don’t speak until I say to speak. We have to have a wonderful conversation about your future. I see potential in you. Untapped potential, boundless potential--by the way, you don’t have nearly enough liquor here, I keep having to drink out my bag of tricks and it’s terrible. This party in general is almost in poor taste, we’ll have to work on that. Get you a few upgrades to a classier location and less… ‘I do drugs!’ coloration.” Alyssa clicked her tongue disapprovingly as she looked around the beach, with the neon colored… well, everything, scattered around them. ”No, no, this just won’t do. If you’re going to be a man of the caliber that I’m looking for you’ll have to upscale your parties. Just a little bit. Less blacklights. More… maybe strobe lights. I like strobe lights. Do you like strobe lights? Whatever, that isn’t my point. My point is that, I think you can raise up from the position in life that you currently hold, simply from harnessing the untapped potential that you hold inside of you, and rallying the people besides. Politics. Put yourself in a position of authority, and use that power to… oh, I don’t know, save the poor, or whatever. Good politicians start early, in high school. This is your official opportunity to start. Become a king, test the waters, see how it works. You’ll take some work, but luckily I have an expert PR team in the form of me, Butler, and my girls. We’ll straighten you out and you’ll learn more about how to be the man everyone wants to be friends with in twenty minutes than you have your entire life.”

Alyssa paused for a second, looking him up and down. ”So. Rhett. What do you s-”

Alyssa’s words were cut off as Rhett was suddenly pushed slightly away from her and wrapped up in a bearhug by a boy wearing a football jersey. Connor that little shit. ”RHETT. Rhett. Good party, bro. GOOD. PARTY.” He pulled away from Rhett, and Alyssa felt her face immediately contort into a scowl.

...always. Always ruining things. ”Connor. Hi. Can’t you go bother literally anyone else!?”

Rhett’s mind was running a million miles per hour. How did he get this popular? Sure, he was good with people but damn… all eyes were on him and he was getting complimented. When did people start noticing him? Throwing a party at this level was already overwhelming and he didn’t have the girls that helped him (Ely and Tis) around to control the party. Things would surely run rampant. All he could think about was Sierra being reminded of the dipshit that chickened out. Fucking pussy. Okay, Rhett doesn’t curse often but when someone annoys him because they don’t have the balls to say what is on their mind…. Fucking shit balls. It was annoying. If he saw Coffee Guy, oh man, he would confront him, himself, and show him the kind of guy Sierra needs. Wait- what? What was he saying… why did he care this much? Si could take care of herself. This wasn’t his problem. One minute he was there keeping her mind off of her troubles and the next he was with… woah. His ocean blue orbs scanned the intimidating blonde before him… this was the closest he’s ever gotten to her and he’d be lying if he said she wasn’t his type. Blondes were hot. And she knew she was hot, which made her beauty worse. Alyssa talked about many things… mostly becoming classy if he was going to take the role ‘King’ beside her. He was being rude staring at her like she was some sexy piece of meat! Respect the royalty that stands before you. Her hair was so nicely done and that pink shirt made her pop, it didn’t help that he could faintly see her bra… and she had soft-looking legs. STOP IT, RHETT.

Clearing his throat, while she talked, Rhett nodded like he heard everything she was saying but really… he was highly distracted by her beauty. Something about strobe lights? Uh… and like… politics? Yeah. Politics. Respect my authoritah! Opening his mouth to bullshit a response that he’s been listening to her this entire time, the punk was saved by… Connor! Head jock and most definitely more fitting for the role of King… but eh, that was just Rhett’s opinion. Thank you party gods! The distracted male was saved by one of the coolest boyz out there. Patting the jock’s back, Rhett grinned like a goofball. Connor sounded drunk AF. Glancing over at Alyssa, Rhett gave her a shrug before bringing his attention back to a guy he never really had a chance to get tight with yet… but they’d most definitely be tight, given time, “Thanks man! Dude. You ready for the homecoming game? You’re going to be money. I just know!”

”I’m always money when I get on that field. But you know what man. You know who’s really money?!” Connor bent down to grab one of the glow stick off of the sand, waving the neon blue thing around. ”Ty. Ty is money and he’d lOVE THIS GLOW STICK. Swig of beer for the glow stick man!” Connor tipped the glass in his hands back, taking a swig from it as he shook his head, tossing the glow stick away. ”But he’s gone now…”

”Oh for Christ’s sake…”

“Aw man. I’m sorry to hear that. These glow sticks are dope, thank the blonde rebels for that. Hey, why don’t we check out the bonfire? Get your mind off ya boy. Drink and get stupid, what do you say!?” Rhett felt sorry for Connor, he didn’t really know what happened to Ty but it obviously was getting the jock down.

Unfortunately for Rhett, Connor’s mind was elsewhere as he reached over and picked up one of the paint guns, waving it around. ”And you know what else!? You know who would have loved these guys? Sentinel. Wolfe. My boy. But he’s gone too! Swig of beer for the workin’ man!” Connor tipped the glass up to his lips, swishing back what was left in it before he shook it around. ”Need more beer. More tributes.”

”Connor…”

Rhett glanced over at a group of kids just talking and drinking and decided to back away and ‘borrow’ one, okay two, okay maybe three of their beers and told them to get more. Connor needed it more than them. With the three cups in his hands, Rex went up to the emotional boy and offered him one, “Go wild. Just let it out, man. Let it out.”

”Rhett, do not encourage this.”

”Smell that sea breeze? Ender loved the sea! He liked to come here and sit in the sand alone and I don’t really know what he did but I can only imagine it was amazing, just like him!” Connor snatched one of the beers from Rhett, cracking it open and holding it up to the sky as he tossed the paint gun to the side. ”Swig o’ beer for the man of the hour!” Another swig of the liquid. Usually Connor didn’t drink much, but dammit, he was sad He flicked away at his cheek, either pretending to brush away tear, or quickly getting rid of one before anyone could see. Was up in the air.

”Connor you moron…”

Deciding to join along, Rhett opened his own can and offered the last one to Alyssa (but she didn’t seem like a beer drinker). Taking a chug, chug, chug, of his drink, he carefully watched the Football captain. What the hell happened to all of his friends? The Matriarch found the jock to be insufferable and Rex was just… confused. Maybe he should rant too? About his own stresses? But nah, this was Connor’s moment. If only there was a football somewhere… “There. There. Who else do you miss, bro? Who else?” Lifting up his can, Rhett joined in with the jock, even though he wasn’t familiar with the boyz, “Pourin’ out for the homies. Ty, Wolfe, and Ender!” He poured some of his drink onto the sand before encouraging Connor to continue his battle cry, “You good? Do you miss someone else?”

Connor held up one finger as he raised the glass into air. One last guy. ”And then there’s Leon! Leon would have appreciated this music. Swig o’ beer for the motorcycle ridin’ man!” Connor killed the beer in his hand and then cracked the second one, holding it high into the air. ”Long live the kings.” He tipped it back and slammed the whole thing as Alyssa stomped her foot into the sand.

”BRYAN. They are NOT DEAD.”

“...so what happened to them?” Rhett was completely intrigued now. Worried about Connor, but intrigued nevertheless.

”Your boy Ty is off in Brooklyn goin’ hard doin’ cocaine off the asses of twenty thousand dollar strippers, Wolfe’s in fucking Alaska with his uncle being the manliest man I’ve ever heard of in my life, surviving in the wild, KILLING MOOSE WITH HIS BARE HANDS AND BEING HIS HOMESTEAD’S SENTINEL! Fighting off REAL WOLVES AND SHIT! A real man’s man! Ender’s off in fuckin’ Frisco, being a whatever it is you wanna call him. Honestly, he’s probably punching kids. Takin’ heads and cashin’ names or some shit. Endin’ shit.” Connor paused, looking off into the distance as he thought about the last one. Leon. ”And… Leon… Well, Leon’s probably off suckin’ a cock somewhere.”

”I AM NOT.”

Fifteen minutes had passed since Jackson and Summer had split from Jade and Jay, and the blonde teen had already consumed over four mixed cocktails of hard liquor. Whatever mood Jackson was in, one thing was for sure: he wasn’t going to experience it sober.

Even if he had the company of Summer, that wasn’t enough to take his mind off of what had happened today. Eve crushed him. Hard. Worse than that, she did it without a moment’s hesitation. Jackson didn’t know what he expected. She was someone who was way out of his league. Ely told him countless times. Rhett would often go on, telling him similar things. Jade told him countless times. Hell, even his own parents chimed in on the subject. Granted, they were looking out for him, but Jackson didn’t listen to any of them. He thought his drive would be able to sway her, but he never got the chance simply because he couldn’t keep his mouth closed. Or be like Rhett, and know when a serious approach was needed.

Everything got fucked because of his big mouth. And now Jackson was paying the piper.

So, if he felt that type of way towards Eve, then why did he even come to the party? Why did Jackson come to Rhett’s party where he knew for a fact that Eve would be here? Why did Jackson come to this party knowing full well that there was a high chance of seeing Eve, of seeing Rhett converse with Eve? And above all things, why was Jackson there, looking out on the moonlit beach with Rhett’s kid sister, Summer?

He didn’t know why. Even worse, Jackson couldn’t find a single reason - at least not at the moment - that it was wrong. But that didn’t change that Jackson had been uncharacteristically silent the entire time. Maybe he didn’t know what to say to Summer, or he simply felt it was safer if this loud mouth finally kept his trap shut.

But perhaps he should say something.

Downing the drink he had in his hand, Jackson scratched the back of his neck. He could literally feel the sweat starting to drop down his back. “So, Summer are you having fun?” Jackson asked. He had no idea what he was doing. God help him if speaking was a mistake.

Summer Aspen, a dynamite blonde, even for a 14 year old, wore her elegant, army green bathing suit that showed some of her stomach and chest (and just a lot of her body), while her denim hip hugger shorts were nice and tight on her plump, dancer bottom. To keep her identity - somewhat incognito, but not really - she wore sunglasses at night. Who cares right? She did what she wanted because she knew she could and would be the best one day. Her brother was such a jerk for not letting her come. Sure, this was her first week of school and she was technically grounded by their mother for paying Miley to do her chores, but she had better things to do like impress Audrey. Her sunglasses rested on top of her gorgeous, well groomed blonde waves, as her light brown orbs fixedly watched the gentle waves of the night water. This was great and it was all thanks to Jackson she could experience the FIRST PARTY OF THE YEAR. Fuck you Rhett for not bringing me. He would pay. Sure, him being considered as potential King Bee material meant more opportunities for her to get on the good graces of Audrey and like, becoming a royal a lot faster than she expected she was capable of doing, but he was still an idiot. He would pay.

Her eyes lit up at the voice of her crush when he broke the silence from them romantically staring out toward the sea. With doe-eyes and a bright, bubbly smile, Summer glanced up at him (having not touched alcohol because she wanted to stay sober for Jackson - plus, soon enough her brother would find her and flip shit), “Never better!” Turning her body toward him, letting her left hand ‘unintentionally’ glide down her chest, she thanked the handsome man that stood before her, “Thank you so much for bringing me. I’m eternally grateful to you, Jackson.” Her voice had a hint of red wine, but was covered with a high octave and sunshine. She gave him a kittenish stare and began to twirl her hair. Obviously flirting. “You know… there’s so much we could do together right now. To have fun and forget about all our problems.” Summer scanned around them, making sure her brother was nowhere near her.

Jackson was quite unsure what she meant by “fun”. His mind wasn’t thinking clearly, and her words didn’t really hit him as soon if he wasn’t in the neighborhood of shitfaced. Seeing as how that he was close to that particular destination, his reaction time was delayed. That was especially true when he blinked. His vision blurred slightly as a result of his alcohol levels.

“Fun? Wha--” Jackson was interrupted by Summer’s forcing tug.

Wanting her brother’s best friend to only think about her, the freshmen dancer grabbed his hands (both) and pulled him toward the dance floor, walking backwards, “Show me your slick moves, Jackson.”

This wasn’t a good idea. Most definitely wasn’t a good idea. Rhett could see him. Granted, from afar, perhaps it wouldn’t look like Summer. Still, Jackson, on some level of his drunkened state, knew this wasn’t a wise move. Being here at the party with Summer broke a few rules of Bro Code already, but dancing with her for sure broke almost every word. If Barney Stinson was here, he would probably give Jackson an earful. Or even Ted Mosby. Or even Marshall Eriksen. All three of them would tell Jackson that he was making a huge mistake. That he should not engage in a dance with Summer. Absolutely not. Don’t do it, Jackson Drake.

As he looked at Summer, examining his options, Jackson seemed like he was at a crossroads, but then he remembered the week he had. He remembered everything that happened. He tried making the right decisions, but none of them worked in his favor. So, he decided to just throw out the rulebook, and make a bad decision for once.

“Fine, but don’t say that I didn’t warn you.” Jackson said. He hiccuped, burped, and laughed in all in that order

As if on cue, the song that was previously playing ended, and Party Hard by Andrew W.K. came on. As that happened, something woke up inside Jackson. One could say his party animal came out, and suddenly Jackson, without even realizing it, began to jump up and down, holding Summer’s hands with the rhythm that his arms. His head was rocking back and forth, he twirled around, twirled her around, and just kind of losing all sense of control as the aggressive beats of the instruments fueled Jackson’s energy and overall vibe.

Summer’s heartbeat picked up expeditiously and she gleamed up at Jackson as he enjoyed himself with her. Sure, he wasn’t the best dancer in the world but this was a party, who cares about class or skill? It was all about having a blast and she was having one hell of a good time! With full willingness, she let him move her petite body around in spins and twirls and even though he didn’t have grace, Summer did. Swaying her hair to side to side, flowing with the night air, and oscillating her hips along with the occasional bounces, the Niner did not look away from him. For this moment, she would like to think she was all his and it felt fan-fucking-tastic. This wasn’t the most… sensual song… but she hoped after this one, she and he could get more intimate. Her light brown orbs did widen slightly when he almost knocked out a couple of people OTHER THAN HER but hey, at least she was safe - sorta. She liked this. He held her. He ‘handled’ her with ease. He… danced with her. The gorgeous, young blonde couldn’t help but feel elated. “JACKSON!” She yelled over the music, “Catch me!” She pulled away from him and gave herself a running start before she leapt into his arms and wrapped her legs around him. Her face was inches away from him, “Spin.”

Despite his decision to willingly make bad decisions, Jackson’s conscious was telling him to stop. It was telling him to drop her. Didn’t matter if it would be mean, if it meant that Jackson wouldn’t be seen in a compromising position with Summer, it would be okay. But, of course, as he always has been, Jackson was being stubborn. Because of that, instead of dropping her like a hot, firm potato, Jackson did as she requested. His hands were gripped along her waistline. He tried not to let them go any lower because, God-forbid Rhett notice them, he didn’t want to risk grabbing his best bro’s kid sister’s firm bottom(okay, he might’ve copped a feel for a slight moment, but you can’t blame him for that one). Lucky for him, the King-to-Be was off a long distance away talking to Alyssa and Connor.

Jackson spun around a few times, with Summer in his arms, looking up at her. Why does she have to be beautiful? Whyyy?

The spins were increasing in numbers. At first, it was all well and dandy. He had control of his footing, and was keeping his hands above the ass. But the more he span the both of them around in circles, gravity was beckoning hard. At one point he almost lost his balance, but caught himself. It was growing increasingly difficult.

And then they dropped. Jackson slipped on the sand, and fell backwards. His back was against the plush sand, and, well, there was Summer on top of him.

Jackson fell, which may have or may have not been something Summer had planned all along. He was shitfaced, she knew that, and the chances of him allowing himself to drop her were slim to none because she just knew he couldn’t resist (and if she got hurt, well, Rhett would beat the shit out of him). Now they were in a compromising position, where she laid on him but that immediately was brought to a straddle (oh Summer). Looking down at him, the blonde tilted her head and let out a light giggle, “I never thought we’d be in this position anytime soon.” As much as the darling dancer wanted her way, planting a nice, juicy kiss on him right then and there, she decided to get off of him and offer her hand, “Want to go talk somewhere? Your head must be spinning now.”

Summer wasn’t wrong. Jackson had been feeling not the greatest before they started dancing, but after the fall, it was like a million people were screaming in his head. Not to mention all those spins made him quite dizzy, which made Jackson hesitate to take her hand right away. As it stood at the current moment, Jackson saw about three of Summer. He wouldn’t know which hand he would reach for, so he just decided to sit there for a minute until the multiple Summers went away.

As he grunted, Jackson’s sight was finally behaving. He only saw one Summer, thus took her hand to help his drunk ass up to his feet. “Yeah..” Jackson said, still feeling woozy, but he was able to at least get that word out. “I think there’s a semi-quiet spot along the coast.” Jackson said, “that work for you?”

“Mhm, whatever you want, Jackson!” Sneakily, but not really, more possessively than anything, Summer grabbed the hand closest to her and beckoned him onward, “Take the lead, hot stuff!” Yes, the darling Niner was outwardly flirting with him and didn’t really care who heard her, but knowing Jackson he would probably think she was joking. Or maybe, his drunk state would notice her ploys. She doubted it.

Jackson was thankful that Summer held close to his hand. He needed balance for this trek of a few dozen feet. Even that short amount was difficult, especially how weak Jackson’s alcohol tolerance seemed to be tonight. Each step he took with Summer seemed to be only slower and with more stumbling. Even still, there was an upside to this slow approach. Jackson and Summer eventually reached the spot that Jackson mentioned. And he was pretty accurate about it being semi-quiet. The loudness of the party could still be heard, but they wouldn’t need to yell over the music to hear each other. For talking, that was pretty essential. Jackson took a seat(not by choice) on the floor, kind of rolling until his bottom was on the sand. He brought his arms beside him, sloppily gesturing Summer to sit beside him. He wouldn’t move much in fear that his body would decide laying stomach-first was needed.

The beautiful blonde scooted in closer to her brother’s best friend, before assertively suggesting, “Lay down, your head is probably spinning! We can look up at the stars.” After gently helping the boy lay back on the sand, making sure his movements weren’t too abrupt (no need for the dynamite crush to upchuck), Summer laid beside him, resting in the crook of his shoulder, while staring up up toward the sky, “You okay? You don’t seem… your usual self.” Waiting for him to respond, the aspiring dancer traced her pointer finger on Jackson’s chest.

“I am definitely not okay.” Jackson said, sighing. “I don’t even know where to start.” he sighed again.

Summer was right. Jackson was not alright. Actually, he was far from it, but where would he begin? How would he start to explain how far from alright he was? Those questions continued in his mind for several seconds. He went over what happened today, trying to concentrate on the best place to start. It wasn’t until he grunted, scooting onto his side, and both of his eyes looking at Summer.

Thank god for nighttime! Summer’s cheeks leaked red as Jackson turned onto his side… their faces inches away from each other. They would have gorgeous blue eyed, blonde haired babies (assuming Jackson’s blue eyes were the dominant genes). No! Stop. Support him. He needs someone to cheer him up. Be that girl. A faint smile graced her face, while she let her light brown orbs lock with his ocean blue. Who needs to look at the ocean when it all resided in her crush’s gaze? “Start from the beginning.” Summer sweetly whispered. Gently, she brought her hand to his blonde strands and brushed them out of his face.

“Well, I guess that would be a good place to start, huh?” Jackson said, lowly laughing.

As he took in a deep breath(not one too noticeable), Jackson would begin telling the tale. “I’m pretty sure that you’re aware of how I’ve been pining for Evelyn Harding, right? I mean, no doubt you heard it from Rhett. Well, after I left with Jade after shit went down in the courtyard, she went to go meet with Eve. Apparently Rhett wanted her to perform or something like that.” Jackson shrugged, “anyways, when we got there, I had so much excitement. I mean, she has been the woman I wanted to be with since — well, for a while. People told me I was crazy for wanting to be with her. You name the person, and I’m pretty sure they have said something about it at some point. Jade, my parents, even Ely at one point, but she was only annoyed with me one time.” Jackson realized he was going on like a motor. He needed to skip the story, and go to what happened.

“Alright, so when me and Jade were in front of her, Jade and Eve were talking, right? And you know me. I can’t keep my mouth shut for long. Sure enough, I let something slip, and…” Jackson paused, “well, it became evidently clear that I not only had no possible chance with Eve, but that if I even dared go near her, or speak her name in her presence, I would live to regret it.” Jackson said, a hint of fear in his tone. “It was a wake-up call, I suppose.” Jackson said, somewhat finishing the story. There was more he wasn’t saying, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Having a brother like Rhett, who didn’t like people to worry about him, who didn’t want people to know his inner battles, and who kept everything bottled up until he exploded, Summer had great intuition for a girl her age. As much as her brother wanted to watch over her, she felt like she had to check up on him more than he for her. That being said, she wasn’t one to pry further into someone’s business unless said person was willing and ready to tell her more. She kept quiet, while she observed where his gaze went or his change in tone. When his voice trailed off, his story coming to a-sorta-close, Summer sighed, “I understand it’s disappointing to not have… the means to be everything your crush wants.” There was a hint of realness in the topic they were discussing, like it was close to her own heart, “Everyone tells you what not to do and you… want to prove them wrong. Then you find out, when it’s too late, they were right. Every single one of them warned you, because they cared… but you’re still not satisfied, right?” Her serene voice stood at a pleasantly low level, not one to raise it while she gave Jackson a heart-to-heart, “Perhaps, we should look at this a little differently?” She brought her body closer to his and let her hand rest on his side (wanting to intertwine her legs in between his, but refraining herself), “You care about Eve, right? Even if she… never gave you a chance… you still want her to be happy, yes?” The night beach setting didn’t help her urge(s). She just wanted to hold him close and show him that she could be that woman who made him happy, but instead she bit her bottom lip and waited for a response.

Jackson couldn’t speak, which was odd. He always had something to say even if it was something stupid, or immature. Even if what was on his mind was something entirely asinine, Jackson always had something to say. That was his thing. Jackson Drake was a guy that always had something to say, but now? There wasn’t a single word that escaped his mouth. It wasn’t because he wasn’t thinking about anything. On the contrary, he for sure had his mind on something. The problem was that Jackson found himself thinking if he should have this thought on his mind. Summer was no doubt right about everything that she had said, but she was really close to him. It wasn’t just in a emotional sense. She always has been someone special to him, but more in that ‘you’re my best friend’s kid sister’-kind of way. But, as she was closer to his body, her arm on his side, Jackson began thinking of her in a different light.

And that was a dangerous thing. By the Gods, Jackson knew he should pull away, but something either around him or within him, didn’t want to. It was as if something bigger was at play, and Jackson didn’t want to move a single inch. Yeah he knew this was a dangerous position to be in. If Rhett came knocking near them, Jackson would be in deep shit. Even if nothing had happened, this was a very compromising position for Jackson to be in with Summer.

And yet..

“I, uh,” Jackson finally spoke, but he became tonguetied,

He cleared his throat.

“Yes, I want her to be happy. Yes, I care about her. As much as it pains me to admit this, if she can’t see me in that way, then maybe with someone else more like her would bring a genuine smile to her.” Jackson said. To his surprise, he was smiling. And, from the looks of it, shedding a few tears. “Shit. Sorry, I don’t know where those came from.” Jackson caught them almost immediately. He went to wipe them from his eyes.

Jackson blinked once. His eyes were back on Summer. “What about you?” Jackson asked. “You spoke as if you know the feeling of unrequited love.”

“Don’t wipe your tears away. You shouldn’t be ashamed for caring. For loving. You’re… really amazing, Jackson.” Summer lifted herself up slightly with her arm so she could glance down at him as they laid side by side. With her hand that was on the outer side of her body, she brought it to his face and brushed his hair out of his eyes, “Girls are complicated. I’m sure Eve has her reasons…” Her blonde hair moved gently with the nightly breeze while her gaze was completely focused on him,”Mm. My circumstances are… dangerous.” Her head inched closer. Slowly, very slowly, they were making their way toward his lips. Without a doubt, there was a building anticipation, desire, and need, “I’d love to be with him… even if it’s wrong.”

Rather than go straight to his face, she went to the side of it, brushing her cheek against his, and brought her lips to his ear, whispering, “But that’s for me to know and you to find out.”

What does she mean by that?

By the time her words resonated with him, Jackson was looking at Summer’s face. So close it was to his own. Something about the way she looked at him and the way that he looked at her was …intense. Sure there might’ve been another way to describe it, but Jackson couldn’t think of any other word than intense. His heart was racing so fast, and the nerves were at an all-time high. Not to mention that he was probably drenched in sweat from head-to-toe.

Jackson would brush that aside for the moment. He shook his head, grains of sand flying everywhere in the process. Eyes of intrigue on Summer, Jackson blinked once. “This guy you like,” Jackson began, “what makes it so wrong to be with him? If you like him, maybe you should tell him how you feel.” he advised her. “Trust me, not knowing how someone might feel about you is worse than anything in this world.”

Playfully rolling her eyes, knowing she understood the situation better than him, Summer shrugged, “I’ll keep that in mind but I think… I know how things would end.” Tilting her head, the Niner couldn’t help but giggle, “What are you waiting for? I know you want to kiss me. Just do it.” She wasn’t going to tell him who she liked, but she would give him the decision to kiss her. His ocean orbs spoke volumes. He never was one that could easily hide how he felt. Brushing her nose against his, the devious blonde added, “I won’t tell Rhett, if you won’t. This can be… our little secret.”

“What? No..that’s not—”

Jackson was a little flabbergasted right now. Where did that come from? What would give her that impression that he wanted to kiss her? No, that was completely absurd. The thought never crossed his mind. Not before tonight and most certainly not when he picked her up from her house. It certainly didn’t cross his mind when she and he were talking on the drive to the party. It never crossed his mind when they were walking along side of each other, her arm hooked with his, and Jackson not minding it much. Not when she and he were talking alone, staring at the moon’s reflection at the beach. It wasn’t when they were dancing and she fell on top of him. It wasn't when he felt …iffy with her body on top of his. And he most certainly didn’t think about it when they started to lay down close to each other on the sand.

Of course, all of those times, Jackson was lying to himself. He had decided to make bad decisions because he didn’t care. In the process, regardless if he didn’t want to openly admit it to himself, it was the singular thought of kissing her that was fuelling his actions tonight. From the moment she got into the car, all the way to this very moment in front of them, Jackson had all but one thought on his mind: kissing those rose-colored lips of summer’s. But even if he wanted to, he can’t.

“We can’t — I can’t. I’ll be breaking the Bro Code.” Jackson attempted to scoot away, but he couldn’t. One, Summer’s leg was over his own, and, perhaps he didn’t want to. “Article 19 states: A bro shall not sleep with another bro’s sister. Kissing is included there.” Jackson kept shaking his head. “It’d be wrong.”

“I guess you’ll never know. I simply wanted to make you feel better after getting your heartbroken from someone who doesn’t appreciate you like I do, but oh well. It’s your lost. Bro code or not, you are your own person. Don’t worry, I’m sure I can find someone else who would adore Summer lovin’.” The disappointment was written all over her face. Of course, as long as Rhett was her brother, her chances with any boy was slim to none. Regardless, she would still do what she wanted. But at last, Jackson was drunk, she shouldn’t take advantage of this opportunity as much as she wanted to, and he… would never want her. She should have known better. “It’s no big deal!” She gave him a warm faux smile. Her voice had a hint of sadness its tone and her light brown orbs were distant.

Pulling away from him, she decided right then and there it was time to move on from this silly infatuation she had for her brother’s best friend. Move on from teen romance. She had dancing to focus on, anyways! “I’m going back to the party.” The young blonde started to pick herself up. Not giving him a chance to grab her, she jolted up and waved goodbye. Once she was done bidding adieu, she quickly paced away.

Now what was he going to do? Jackson knew it was wrong to feel this way. And even though he wanted to do something about it, he might have just missed his only chance cause she was already walking away. If ever there was a moment that he would have to do something — anything — about this entire situation with Summer and whatever he felt, it would have to be now. The choice would have to be made within the next couple of seconds.

“Shit,” Jackson muttered, struggling to get up. He was eventually able to after a few tries. “Summer!” Jackson called out, but she didn’t stop. He took a few big steps, stumbling slightly. “Summer!” he called out again. Still, she didn’t stop. Either she didn’t hear him or she was refusing his call. Jackson was faster than her, but in his state, he might as well be as fast as she was. A miracle happened, and Jackson finally reached her. His right hand reached out, and grabbed her shoulder. He turned her around. “Summer! Will you just wait a minute?!” Jackson yelled to her, trying to talk over the loud sounds of the music and screaming teenagers.

The Niner tried to pull away but he wouldn’t let her go, “Forget it, Jackson!” Her gaze turned dark… something Jackson probably has never seen up until this very moment. She didn’t want to deal with this right now. She didn’t want to deal with him right now. Or even look at him, “It was a stupid suggestion, okay. Go find my brother and have another shot or something. Just let me go.”

They were past the point of words. Jackson was past the point of words. There was nothing he could say that would even begin to cover what he was feeling right now because it was too crazy to believe. To think that, in some way, shape, or form, Jackson had feelings for Summer. It was taboo. It was forbidden. Hell, it was hazardous to his health, but none of that mattered when Jackson looked into her eyes. Realizing at this very moment that he had been looking in the wrong place. Ely was more like a sister to him. Eve was never going to acknowledge him in the way he wanted. Ash was miles away, but right now, right here, was someone that actually liked him. For whatever reason that was out of Jackson’s comprehension, she liked his ugly mug. And as taboo as it was, Jackson liked her too.

As the final seconds ticked away, Jackson brought his left hand up to Summer’s cheek, caressing it. “That’s the last thing I want to do, Summer,” He smiled, and leaned in. The moment wasn’t fleeting, not if Jackson had any say about it. He was about to take hold of it just as he took hold of Summer’s attention by giving her a loving, deep kiss.

W-what?! He… he actually went for it?! Summer’s eyes widened as her crush for god... who-even-knows-how-long… pressed his warm, yummy lips against her’s. Was this really happening? The smell of liquor (a combo of whiskey, vodka, and something fruity) filled her nostrils and his grip on her tightened. Shock. Disbelief. Confusion. But most importantly, elation. In this moment, one of her most desired dreams felt like it was coming true. She didn’t move a muscle. If she did, this moment might end. She didn’t want it to end. Call her clique but if she could freeze time, she would.

Instead of pulling away, she closed her eyes and moved her plump lips along with his… as if she was leading it to more risque kissing (she was even tempted to use tongue, but she’d refrain herself - for now). From an outsider’s perspective, her arms were down to her side and she looked frozen in place as her brother’s best friend (or an older boy) held onto her possessively, planting a nice, hard kiss on the freshman. But to her, fireworks had been set off inside. Summer was on cloud 9… Her mind would stay up in the clouds for as long as time would allow her to live in this illusion. Please, let this last forever.