Five minutes. Five more minutes and Victoria, along with the rest of the student population of Oak Pointe High School, would be free. Free for the summer break. The teacher at the front of the room, seemed to drone on about something. What they were talking about, Vicky wasn’t so sure. She hadn’t be paying attention since they first opened their mouth and Victoria had sat her butt down in her seat. What was so possibly important for a teacher to continue a lecture all the way to the last minutes of the last class of the last day of junior year? The seconds ticked on when the crackle of the PA System came on, marking the end of day announcements. But the voice on the other end wasn’t the familiar one of Principal Smith. Oh no, it was the sound of a different force to be reckoned with.

”Goooooood Evening, Oaks Pointe High School! It is time for your end of year announcements!” The voice cheered through the speakers, causing a slight feedback from the loud voice. Everyone knew exactly who that voice belonged to, and that was notorious Ricardo Ignacio. ”In the next 5 minutes, we shall all be freed from the chains of our Masta’” Ricardo called out, adding a stereotypical plantation worker accent to the last word. Anyone who had been zoned out was now tuning into to the delusional ramblings of Ricky over the speaker. If one listened close enough, they could hear the banging of a door in the background. ”But it wouldn’t be a proper end of the school year without a proper sign off.” People were mumbling and whispering to each other, Vicky just having a cheeky grin on her face. That crazy bastard! He had told Vicky before that he was going to highjack the evening announcements. She bet him 500 bucks that he would get caught by administration before he could get to the speaker. She couldn’t believe he was able to do it. Amazing really! She shook her head, mouthing to some of the other people in the room. ”That sneaky bastard…”

”We all know that the yearbook superlatives are all BULLSHIT! No one cares who has the best smile, who has the coolest hair, who blah-blah-blah. That is why I’m presenting my own superlatives!” There was the sound of ruffling paper. In the Principal’s office, Ricardo sat at the Principal’s chair, his feet propped up onto the desk. The door to the office was not only locked, but he had tucked a chair under the doorknob as well. The Principal, just outside the door, continued to pound away at the door jiggling the handle, and yelling obscenities. ”Authority Figure with the dirties mouth goes to our very own Principal Smith! If you have fallen to his wrath, you know the man isn’t short on a rainbow of vocabulary!” A few students snickered, and even Vickly slowly clapped for her friend, wow he was really going for it. All students and teachers had stopped what the were doing, some with their mouths agape, listening to Ricardo.

”Hottest Body goes to the Queen B herself, Victoria Steel! She can get any man’s corazóne, that is ‘heart’ for you uneducated types. No girl is more deserving for the title. Big round of applause to Vickyyyy!” At this point Victoria began to blush, shaking her head. A few people were staring at her, and some of the more belligerent jock types were hooping and hollering, banging on the table in agreement like the apes they were. ”You punk bastard.” Was all she could get out.

”Biggest Loser goes to Finn Jeffeson! If you don’t know who that is- No worries, you aren’t missing much! Big hand everyone to our biggest loser.. uh, what was his name again?” A lot of people looked around, quizzically. Most people didn’t know the name, but those who did couldn’t help but cover their mouths in an attempt to suppress laughter. ”Biggest Wannabe goes to our sweet little Alice Weather! If anyone tried harder at being someone- they would actually be someone. Congratulations, Alice Weatheeeer!” The ‘superlatives’ continued like this until one minute before the bell rang. ”Last, and most certainly not least- Your wonderful host- Ricardo Ricky Ignacio wins most irresistible classmate! It has been an absolute pleasure, and I look forward to one more retched year with you delinquents!” Ricardo clapped loudly over the speaker, causing more feedback.

”Congratulations to everyone who participated this year! Ask your closest barbie doll or meat head about my party tonight. Every one, including some of you losers are invited. GOODBYE OAKS POINTE HIIIIIIIGH!” With that the bell rang, and eager students began to flood out into the hallways, gossiping and laughing about the stupid, silly, and perverse superlatives that everyone got. The speakers were still on when a loud bang echoed over them ”SUSPENSION! EXPULSION! I SWEAR TO GOD, I’LL SEND YOU AND YOUR BEAN PICKING FAMILY BACK TO-“ And the speaker cut off. Alone in the office, the chair at the door had been overturned, and a red-faced man stood screaming at the cheeky Columbian sitting at the desk. ”If you think you’re going to get away with that little stunt, you have another thing coming to you, Ricardo Ignacio!!”

Outside in the student parking lot, students gathered around. Either talking frantically about the summer or trying to get their car out of the crowded parking lot. A few jocks and cheerleaders hung around Vicky, asking this and that about her plans for the summer. Everyone wanted to hang out with her, but none of them really mattered to much for her. In her hand she was counting out the 500 dollars she was going to have to hand over the Ricardo. Given just a little more time, the Columbian walked over with quite a bit of skip in his step. Of course he got off scot-free for something that anyone else would be expelled for. ”Give me a moment, girl and guys. I need to correspond with my ‘King’.” She joked before approaching the Spaniard alone, outstretching the 500 dollars to Ricardo. His grin seemed to widen as he took the money, counting it all in his hands. ”And you don’t think I’d do it! You didn’t believe in me! It crushes my heart that you didn’t believe in Ricardo Ignacio!” He feigned heartbreak, and continued counting the money, before shoving it back into his pocket. They frequently had bets like these, 500 dollars really wasn’t that much money given how much their families were worth combined.

”Your little superlatives were entertaining, but I think you got one wrong. I definitely should have gotten most irresistible classmate.” Ricardo’s eyes shifted slyly up to Victoria’s, as she pulled out a compact to check her make-up and puff up her hair with some more volume. She was drop dead gorgeous, all right. But Ricardo was just as stunning in his masculinity. ”I don’t know about that, hermosaaaa. I am quite the catch… bigger a catch than you in my eyes.” Ricardo grinned wildly and crossed his arms. They were both a kind of force to be reckoned with, and their little scrimmages among each other could end in a multitude of ways. Although a bet usually was the more common, tamer outcome. ”Are you up for another bet then? Something to keep us entertained this summer?” Ricardo raised his eyebrow, his interest greatly peaked.

”I bet you anything, that I can get any guy on campus before you could get any girl on campus.” This was an interesting bet and Ricardo pondered on it for a second. He wasn’t denying the fact that Victoria was a very charming and attractive girl. And she wasn’t wrong, she could get any male classmate to do her little biddings. She could have anyone, and she knew that. Ricardo was irresistible, sure, but a lot of girls tended to know that with him came trouble. He was going to have to make this easier for himself. ”Sounds interesting… but let’s make it more interesting. The person you have to charm by the end of the summer is…” His eyes began to scan the crowd of students collecting in the parking lot. Every face his eyes landed on were either guys that Vicky had already charmed, had wrapped around her finger, or easily would have dropped everything they were doing to appease her. But then, his eyes fell on his favorite chew toy. A guy who knew better about falling for a girl like Victoria. One that it would be hard for her to charm. ”Finn Jefferson.” He pointed in the distance, and Victoria’s eyes followed, spotting the blue haired nobody across the parking lot. Her stomach turned as if she would puke. He was the biggest loser on campus! A nobody! His family was broke and he was boring. She started to feel a bit nervous. He wasn’t the kind of guy that would be easy for her to turn the charm on for, that was for sure. But her eyes quickly darted to a girl standing beside him, and she smiled.

”Fine, but then you have to charm… Alice Weather.” She nodded to the girl that was standing with Finn, a smile growing on Vicky’s face. Victoria knew that Alice was too good of a girl to be caught up in Ricardo’s antics. And even Ricardo showed a shred of doubt looking at the silver haired Alice. Sure, Ricardo recognized the fact that Alice had a smoking body, but he knew the kind of girl she was. Little Miss Perfect, better than everyone because of her “pure heart”. But which one would be harder to charm? Ricardo’s eyes turned back towards Vicky, rubbing his chin and pondering on it for a few seconds. Maybe he could make it a very large bet to try and scare her out of it. He couldn’t look like a coward to back down out of a bet. ”If I win… you’ll owe me… ten THOUSAND dollars.” Ricardo extended his hand to confirm the deal. This caught Victoria slightly off guard. This was the biggest monetary bet that the two had ever came to terms on. But she couldn’t back down, make him think that she wasn’t everything she hyped herself up to be. ”And If I win, $10,000 for me as well.” Victoria grabbed Ricardo’s hand, both shaking hands in agreement, not knowing how much their craving for bets would affect their entire summer.

The parking lot gradually grew smaller and smaller as people began to evacuate. As if the teachers and administrators could come running back outside and force them to take classes over the summer. Ricardo chuckled at the thought and pulled from his front pocket a metal flip lighter and a single stick from the open pack in his pocket. A couple flicks, deep inhale, and tucking it back into his pocket. Ah, a smoke at the end of the day was so relieving. Victoria just coughed and waved the smoke away. ”Seriously, Ricardo? Lighting up on campus?” It was obvious from the smell that it wasn’t a cigarette like the packet in his pocket advertised. Ricardo shrugged, holding it between his two fingers. ”I’m untouchable, chica! You know that.” He took another quick drag, but Victoria continued to fan the smell away. They couldn’t be so different, but how did they become close friends? It didn’t go further than their naturally competitive nature. Sure, they were King and Queen, but they constantly butted heads about who was better than the other. Both, of course, being better in their own separate ways and regards. They had a symbiotic relationship. They both helped one another, recognizing that their forces combined made them practically unstoppable. They could get away with anything, and they always had. Victoria was watching Finn Jefferson and Alice Weather from the distance. It didn’t seem that Ricardo was all too worried about their bet. Was he trying to play it off that ten thousand dollars was chump change to him?

Her eyes scanned over Finn and she felt almost sick to her stomach. Maybe after a few drinks he would be more appetizing to the eyes. Why the hell would anyone want to die their hair blue? It looked so unnatural! Victoria placed a hand on her hips, her eyes scanning Finn up and down. Her eye assessing every little detail and picking at it. Messy hair, ratty clothes, pale skin, ugly punk look. This guy really was a piece of work… In the same way, Ricardo’s eyes seemed to be looking over the little Alice Weather. He understood how she had become good friends with Victoria to start with. Victoria recruited her gang of mean girls based completely on looks. Ricardo couldn’t deny it, Alice was very attractive. It was her personality that really turned him off. It clicked soon with Ricardo and Victoria that the duo was coming to them very quickly and Victoria flicked her eyes to the side. They had been standing in front of the Fiat 500 that Victoria gifted to Alice a long time ago. It didn’t matter to Vicky much. Her dad was buying her a brand-new BMW, so she just gave her old car away to her friend. Well, ex-friend

”¡Mierda!” Ricardo hissed under his breath. He put out the joint and stuck it back in his pocket. Victoria watched him with a curious look, why was he putting out his joint? The scent lingered only for a little bit longer when the couple of losers reached them. ”Aye! Alice, how are you? I hope you enjoyed my shenanigans earlier.” Victoria quickly covered her mouth, doing her damned hardest to suppress her laughter. Ricard had insulted Alice literally just minutes before, it was going to be interesting to see how he tried to recover from it. ”A bunch of my goonies helped to come up with the list. Pah! They aren’t that funny. Mi belleza, I would have put you down for most breath-taking eyes.” Victoria looked at Ricardo with utter shock, as he just grinned slyly, his eyes locked on Alice’s. Wow, was he laying it on thick. Victoria didn’t look directly at Alice, but she wondered how much of it Alice was buying or not. Victoria assessed the situation and heard Alice mention about having them move so she could back out the car. ”I will gladly get out of your way, belleza… If you promise me that you will be attending my party tonight.” Ricardo determined that he was going to have to play the slow game with Alice. But, the sooner head start he had, the farther head start over Victoria he had. ”I only ask because I don’t think I’ve ever seen you come to my parties before. And it simply breaks mi corazóne. I want to get every junior and senior to attend this party. An adiós to the seniors, y a bienvenido to the newest batch of seniors! There will be drinks, music, dancing, we have a pool too if you want to go swimming… or even skinny-dipping later at night.” With his last statement he threw a quick wink to Alice.

At this point Victoria realized that she should probably step up and say something. But she was still too disgusted at the prospect of flirting with Finn. She really needed drinks in her system for this. How did Ricardo make it look so easy? Victoria once again avoided eye contact with Alice, and simply focused her attention on Finn. She gripped one of her pretty locks of hair and twirled it in her fingers, she bit her lip slightly, looking into Finn’s eyes. ”Well, Ricardo did say he wanted every senior and junior… So you will be coming too. Right, Finn? I mean. You two are practically conjoined at the hip… I do hope to see you there.” Maybe less was more with Finn, or at least Victoria hoped that was the case. She quickly shot a wink at him, before turning around and making her way towards her BMW, her bright hair bouncing with each step. It was obvious for a split second that Ricardo really didn’t appreciate Victoria inviting Finn to his party. But she was really using his words against him. ”Until tonight then, bonita. 10pm. Ciau” He waved and turned around, heading to his own Mustang car.

Getting in their separate cars, Victoria and Ricardo looked at each other, nodded, and headed out. Victoria was in charge of getting together the drinks, while Ricardo needed to make his house more… high school student presentable. That meant getting any evidence of the dealings going on in his home up and put away. By 8pm the house was spotless, but 9pm Victoria arrived with her own disciples to do her bidding. Setting up drinks, punch, food, and music. Victoria never had to lift a finger beyond that of her cell phone. And come 10 o’clock the music was bumping, and the drinks were flowing. Almost everyone was there, but ever few minutes more people began to trickle in one by one. Ricardo and Victoria stood in the kitchen, him enjoying a nice beer, while Victoria sipped from a solo cup of Malibu, rum, and orange juice- her favorite little concoction.

Okay, so the charming manner in which Ricardo spoke to her caught Alice a little off-guard. And okay, it took her a lot of effort not to let her jaw drop and her cheeks flush at his compliments. She had no doubt that he had used them a thousand times before, nonetheless she still wasn't used to such attention. Her composure was regained as fast as it was lost, however, and she deftly raised an eyebrow at the boy, not failing to notice the suppressed laughter coming from Victoria. What was he playing at?

"Ah, and I'm sure it'll be my breath-taking eyes you'll be looking for in the pool, nothing else." Her voice came out a lot smoother than she expected it to, without the tremors she had been bracing herself for. She couldn't help but notice the impressed quirk of Finn's eyebrow, for he was probably just as surprised as she was with her sudden bravery. "We might be there, we might not. Wouldn't want to ruin our reputations being the Biggest Loser and the Biggest Wannabe, huh Finn?" She nudged Finn beside her, hoping he would follow along, come up with some witty line of his own. Of course, that didn't happen once Victoria spoke to him.

Finn was just about trying not to gag at Ricardo's sickening attempts at wooing Alice when Victoria spoke up, her sultry voice cutting through the tension in the air as she addressed him. Normally, he would've scoffed at what the girl said and told her to dream on, but this time he couldn't help but notice the way she was twirling her hair and biting her lip and looking up at him through her eyelashes, and all words failed him. "I-well, I, um, y-yeah. I suppose, I mean, I think so." It took all of Alice's self-restraint not to smack him right there. Boys. She watched with thinly-veiled annoyance as Victoria walked away, leaving the scent of her expensive perfume lingering in the air without even throwing her former best friend a second glance. She reckoned that that had been the first time the two girls had been in the same conversation ever since they had gone their separate ways, and it had been as awkward as anyone would expect it to be. What annoyed Alice more, though, was the effortlessly cool way Ricardo left them, and the way his smile lingered in her mind a little longer than she would have liked.

"Come on, you idiot. Let's go." Alice practically had to drag Finn to her car and watch as he stared at the two far more expensive cars smoothly leaving the parking lot. Settling back in the driver's seat, she made a show of adjusting her mirrors to perfection to ensure that she would not be driving anywhere near Ricardo or Victoria as she left herself. "Have you regained the capacity of speaking English, then? Or am I just going to have to learn whatever language you started speaking out there?"

"Fuck, Alice! What was that? Why did I do that? It's Victoria Steel, for Christ's sake!" Finn was dragging a hand through his hair, anything to stop the scene of that conversation run through his mind again. How had Alice been so cool? How did she manage to stand her ground when Ricardo Ignacio was sizing her up, and he didn't? His anger increased tenfold as he realised that Alice had started laughing. Laughing at him. "It's not funny, 'Lis!" He brought his hand down on the dashboard, fists clenched. "Woah, woah, woah. Don't take it out on the car. I'm laughing because you just answered your own question, Finn." She pulled a mock-sorrowful expression and started waving her hands about wildly as they came to a long, straight piece of road. "Oh, why am I like this?" She spoke with a dumbed-down version of his voice, making sure to emphasise the 'why', just like he would do. "Because, you idiot, it was Victoria Steel. You're no match for her charms. Simple."

"But she's a Class-A bitch. I hate her as much as, if not more than, you do." He was genuinely confused as to why he had looked like such a...doofus. "Yeah, but you're a guy and she's gorgeous. You weren't expecting it, it's no big deal. She's probably used to it. Besides, when we go to that party tonight we're going to have such a good time you won't even stop to think about her." Finn did a double-take to make sure it was definitely Alice who had just said that. The Alice he knew would stay as far away as possible from a party Victoria Steel and her minions were attending. "Wait, have you forgotten what you said to them back there? You told Ricardo we weren't going."

"No, I told him we might not be going. Which means we are. Those two are up to something and I want to know what." What she failed to admit, too, was the slight thrill she felt at the thought of going to Ricardo's house, party or not. Her mind wandered to all of the possibilities of the night, some of which made her stomach flip with nerves. What was she thinking? Of course nothing was going to happen! There was no force on earth that could get her any closer to Ricardo Ignacio that absolutely necessary.

"Alice, you just ran two red lights...are you okay?" Finn placed a hand reassuringly on her knee. If it had been anyone else in the world, she would have flinched away, but Finn was different. He had gotten past her walls one by one and become a part of her, she was his rock and he was hers. It made her smile to think that just over a year ago things couldn't have been more different. "Ricardo Ignacio is bad news. You can smell trouble on him. Literally. I swear he lit up a joint just there." Alice said nothing to that and opted to just laugh instead, pulling the car up to her house and jumping out of it. If they were going to this party, there was to be a lot of getting ready involved, and a few pre-drinks, too.

By 10 o'clock, Alice was still deep in the process of styling her hair while Finn was pacing frantically behind her, flask in hand. The sound of classical music playing in the backround made his nervousness even more comical. They had a rule that said whoever's house it was meant whoever's music would be playing. If they were at Finn's, some ridiculous saxophone solo would be blasting out; but there were at Alice's - and that meant classical.

"We're meant to be there now, Alice! He said 10! We are going to be so late."

"So? We'll be fashionably late then. Don't worry, Jefferson. I'll just put on my lipstick and we're good to go. Kind of." This promise warned nothing more than a scoff from Finn. It almost made Alice laugh at how their usual roles were reversed this time. Usually she was the one freaking out about being late, not Finn. But now she felt oddly calm. The shots they had taken earlier may have had something to do with it, but she was perfectly content with taking her time anyway.

It was almost 11 by the time they finally arrived at the Ignacio household, Finn wearing his usual grungey attire, and Alice wearing one of her favorite summer dresses, her hair up as per usual. The pair couldn't help but notice that there was already people passed out in the front yard, and exchanged skeptical glances as they entered the front door. The music, much to Alice's dismay, was blaring so loudly that one had to shout in order to be heard in certain rooms. Finn hardly recognised half the people there, nor did they him judging by the strange looks he was receiving as he followed Alice deeper into the house. Alice, on the other hand, was having to politely dismiss conversation after conversation, usually from that of very drunk boys. One guy in particular reached down to lift up the skirt of her dress, only to be shoved away by Finn before he could do any damage.

"Watch it." Finn hated it here already, but his hopes were lifted slightly at the sight of the drinks table that wasn't as busy as some parts of the house. He turned round with the intention of asking Alice what she wanted to drink, only to realise that she was nowhere to be seen. So much for sticking together. Letting out a sigh and murmuring apologies as he went, he made his way over to the drinks table and immedietely reached for the nearest bottle. Not even bothering to read the label, he poured it into a cup until it was three quarters full, and filled the rest with the lemonade next to it. He almost gagged with his first sip, but it gave him a pleasant burn all the same and his missing best friend was soon forgotten.

Meanwhile, Alice found herself in the midst of a dancing group of drunk teenagers. Finn was nowhere to be seen - probably making friends with all of the alcohol in the house. Brushing off an invisible speck of dirt from her dress, she tried not to get in people's way as she tried to find somewhere quiet, to no avail. One guy in particular kept on trying to grab her hand, asking for a dance, but she managed to slip away each time. It was getting annoying now, though, and all she wanted was a seat. This party was a huge mistake.

The party had only just started and it seemed everything was in full swing. In the kitchen among the drinks, Victoria and Ricardo were hanging back to watch as the party unfolded, enjoying their drinks to get a good buzz going for them. Their eyes locked on each other for a quick second and the biggest grins grew on both their faces, almost simultaneously. Followed quickly by laughter. Victoria had to try to not let the tears forming in her eyes smudge her smoky makeup. ”Did you see how Finn reacted? ‘I-well, I, um, y-yeah’ Oh my God! He looked like a hot mess!” Victoria cackled, clinching her drink and holding her stomach. If she held her drink any tighter, it would probably pop out of her hands. ”Yeah, you really left him shell shocked! But I think I put some magic on Alice. You weren’t looking, but her face started to grow pink too!” The two continued to laugh, drinking merrily with one another. ”Yeah, but you heard Alice, right? She made it sound like she wasn’t going to show up… I’m pretty certain though, that Finn will be here soon enough. I think that puts me in the lead.” Ricardo raised an eyebrow, knocking back the last of his beer before throwing it into the trash. He turned towards the pantries and reached up towards the tallest shelf, pulling down a very expensive bottle of tequila. Victoria’s eyes lit up at the bottle, a signature shot for them when a new bet was going to arise. Very well, Ricardo. Bring it on!

Ricardo popped the top off, filled up two small, red solo shot cups, and quickly stored the bottle back on the shelf. Victoria put her drink down to receive the shot, her eyebrows raised at Ricardo with a peaked interest. What was he planning? ”Listen, Victoria, honey…” She rolled her eyes violently, if Ricardo ever called her that then he was trying to make it sound like he knew what he was talking about. Whatever the fuck it was that seemed to seep out from his lips. ”Finn is too much of a coward to come to a party like ours. He knows he wouldn’t fit in, and he would be a freak among us. If Alice isn’t going to be here, then Finn won’t be here. But rest assured, I have a good feeling they will both be arriving.” He tapped his shot cup against Victoria’s and they both knocked it back. There was an amazing burn that came with the tequila, and it really perked up Victoria. Tequila shots was one of her few weaknesses. ”Cut to the chase, Ricardo. You are wanting to put on a new bet, so what are you so afraid of?” Ricardo leaned back on the counter, scratching his cheek as if he were ponding on the thought. But Victoria knew very well that whatever plan he had, it had already been formed premeditatively. ”Just for the night, let’s double down. Twenty thousand for whoever sees their target naked. And!” Ricardo threw his finger in the air. ”Gets photo evidence!” Victoria’s evil cackle shot from her ruby red lips. Ricardo is an idiot! Although Victoria spread around rumors of Alice being a slut, it was exceptionally far from the truth. Victoria knew that Alice would never put her guard down and show of her body to any random guy. Not that she shouldn’t though, Victoria recognized the fact that Alice’s body was almost as hot as her own. But getting Finn naked? Hook, line, and sinker! If Finn was so frazzled up in the parking lot from her just barely acknowledging his existence, she was confident that she could get him naked by the end of the night. Victoria took Ricardo’s hand confidentially and shook it. ”You’re more dangerous for my wallet than Victoria’s Secret.” Victoria covered her lips and giggled innocently.

On the other hand, Ricardo was just as confident as Victoria over this new bet. He had the perfect idea on how to get Alice to loosen up. And Ricardo had a feeling that loser had never gotten his dick wet before. Ergo, no way was he going to drop trou in front of Victoria that easily. With the new bet established, Ricardo, like the snake he is, slithered out of the kitchen and to the back porch of his house. A few classmates were passing around a joint, and Ricardo jumped in to snag a few hits. From his pocket, he precured a plastic baggie with a single white pill in it. Ricardo massaged it in his finger, causing it to break down into an almost powdery substance. It wasn’t anything too hard or crazy, as roofies come. But it was sure to be enough to let Alice ‘loosen up’ by the end of the night. He wasn’t joking earlier about getting Alice into his massive pool, naked by the end of the night. Wow, would that have been a beautiful sight. Victoria on the other hand was preparing for Finn in her own way. She scurried into one of the nearby bathrooms, making her hair a bit more messy, messing with one of the straps of her romper and pulling up the waist band. She turned her back to the mirror to see how high to pull it up, just to make her ass look good. Perfect! She smiled contently before returning to the party.

The party went on for another hour, and Victoria was on again, off again talking with her little clique following. They were helping here and there to adjust her outfit or her hair at her little bidding. The girls kept asking her, who? Who are you trying to impress tonight? The handsome blonde football captain? The tall, dark and handsome basketball captain? The foreign soccer captain? But Victoria wouldn’t let out a peep besides ”I think I’m going to do a bit of community service and flatter one lesser on the food chain.” With that, she was ultimately giving permission for the rest of her clique to go after said football, basketball, and soccer captains. And so her little minions spread out into the sea of bodies. Victoria’s eyes hit the clock and saw it was starting to approach 11, and neither Alice nor Finn have arrived yet. Just as Victoria’s was starting to become nervous, Finn walked in through the door, and seemed to beeline it towards the drink table. Taking in a deep breath, as if it would activate her charm, Victoria threw back her hair and began to walk toward Finn and the drink table. A large body stepped in between them. ”Hey, Victoria… do you want to come dance with me?” Now, during any other party, in any other instance, Victoria would have said yes to the linebacker of a man standing before her. But her eyes stayed locked on to Finn, as she simply brushed him to the side. ”No thanks.” Was all she said, not giving him the time of day. He seemed offended, but quickly recovered to ask some other girls around him.

Victoria stood beside Finn, watching him pour his drink. Wow, that was a lot of alcohol. But she couldn’t blame him. She was trying to get down quite a few drinks to make him seem more attractive. And it was working quite well. What she would usually consider to be a raggedy git up, suddenly looked more handsomely rugged. And did he always have such a strong jaw line? And wow, has he always been so tall? ”I like my drinks pretty strong too.” She spoke with a spark on her tongue. She poured herself a similar drink to that of Finn’s, tapped her cup to his, and took a quick sip. If she was sober, the drink would have really burned. But as she was already pretty buzzed, it didn’t burn nearly as bad. ”I’m so glad you could make it out here tonight, Finn! I’ve never seen you at a party before.” She smiled cheekily, closing in on her victim. She stood just close enough that the fabric of her romper was barely brushing against his jacket, and she bit her lip again, watching his reaction through sapphire eyes. ”So, tell me Finn… Do you like drinking games?” A sly smile grew on her ruby red lips.

Outside on the patio, Ricardo didn’t show any signs of worry. He saw exactly the moment that the two entered his house, through the sliding glass door. And he took note of the instance that the two got separated from one another. He took this moment to grab his drink and make his way inside. He found an empty solo cup, filled it with a cold coca cola, and with a very quick slight of hand, he poured his last special ingredient into the drink. Ricardo could tell that Alice was increasingly growing annoyed with advances from some of the guys around, and he quickly swooped in, shooing them away. ”Hey hey hey! Give the poor chica some space! If she doesn’t want to dance with you then scram!” He gave a stern look to the two guys, and even flexed his muscles some. Which were very apparent with his sleeveless tank top. It was an incredibly stupid decision to try and go against Ricardo’s demands, and so the prying hands seemed to back away, leaving Alice alone with Ricardo. He lifted up the drink to Alice, offering it to her. ”Sorry about those bozos.. they really don’t know when to stop, do they?” He saw that Alice wasn’t taking the drink immediately, as if skeptical. ”You don’t have to take it. I poured it when you walked in- just coca cola, no alcohol. I promise, belleza. I can see you’re already a little pink in the face from pregaming, no need for a pretty face to get plastered. I really hope you didn’t drive here like that!” He threw a charming grin to her, placing one of his arms around her and resting his hand on her side. He wasn’t lying and he was staying true to his word. There wasn’t any alcohol in the drink, but there was a very minute amount of rohypnol, or roofie. Ricardo’s eyes hungrily scanned over Alice’s body, the white dress looked very flattering on her, he had to admit that. But how much better it would look on the floor of his bedroom!

Finn was just in the midst of downing his drink when his eyes landed on the one person he really didn't want to see. Victoria Steel was standing just across the room - and she was staring straight at him. Were his eyes playing tricks on him, or did she just say no to that hunk? And was she walking over to him right now? And was she smiling at him? Taking another swig of the drink in his hand and trying not to wince, he offered her a weak smile as she came to a stop right in front of him. Sober Finn probably would have taken a cautious step back from this...enchantress, but sober Finn was nowhere in sight. Drunk Finn, however, could not help but allow his eyes to rake over the gorgeous girl in front of him - lingering particularly on where her romper clung to one specific curve. It only took her to speak, though, to snap him out of his gaze and onto her face. There she was, pulling that face again! That face that had rendered him speechless just hours before. Well, that was not about to happen again.

"I can see that." He cocked an eyebrow, an action he was particularly proud of judging by the state he was already in, at the drink Victoria poured herself and watched as she took a hefty swig of it. "Yeah, I usually don't like these kinds of things. Come to think of it, I'm not really sure why I'm here right now." The last statement was said almost as if he was talking to himself, trying to remember the reasoning behind this torture. He couldn't help but let out a nervous chuckle as she edged ever closer to him, now just inches away. He had never been this close to a girl that wasn't Alice before. Shit, Alice.

"You haven't seen Alice - wait, drinking games?"

Finn had next to no experience when it came to stuff like that. In his life, he had perhaps participated in something that even resembled a drinking game only once, and that had been with his brothers. He had been fifteen at the time, and had never felt more excited to be a part of his sibling's antics. He had convinced himself that he had managed to get shitfaced and spent the night stumbling around the house, spouting nonsense and quoting Shakespeare. In reality, it had been a simple card game where the loser had to take shots. When he had lost, he wasn't even given alcohol - his oldest brother, Brooklyn, had filled a shot glass with a mix of grape juice and water and told him it was some Argentinian national drink. 'Almost 100% alcohol', they had told him, and he had believed it. There had yet to be a family celebration where it had not been brought up ever since.

So, naturally, Finn was somewhat suspicious at the question. Maybe Victoria had spoken to one of his brothers, and they had told her that story. Maybe she was waiting to catch him out on a lie, knowing that he had, in fact, never properly taken part in a drinking game ever before in his life. His mind was racing to come up with a suitable answer to the question, every muscle in his body telling him to just bolt. That would be stupid. A voice in his head reasoned, and for some reason it sounded an awful lot like Alice's. So he settled for offering her a shrug and a guilty smile, his hair flopping into his eyes as he hung his head in embarrassment.

"To be honest, I don't know. Never played one." He braced himself for the slating of a lifetime, taking another large gulp of his drink and looking down at the floor. The confession itself wasn't that humiliating, he knew, but this was Victoria Steel. She had the capability of destroying him right there on the spot.

As this went on, Alice was similarly dealing with the other half of the duo. Instead of being flattered by the advances, however, she was wary. Alice liked seeing the good in people. She had always given Ricardo Ignacio the benefit of the doubt for all the years that she'd known of him. In fact, she had always assumed that his rebellions had been a cry for help - a distraction, of sorts. But the last twenty-four hours had planted doubt in her mind regarding this boy, and that was what made her hesitate before taking the drink he was offering.

Truth be told, she had been relieved at the sound of someone telling the incessant boys to back off. She had assumed it was Finn, and, automatically, her shoulders had slumped in relief. It was only when her eyes lifted to her 'rescuer' that she put her guard back up, taking a hasty step back and offering him nothing more than a nervous quirk of the lips. She may have been tipsy, but there was no way that she was going to be cosying up to Ricardo tonight. "I can handle myself, thank you very much." She hated the fact that she had to tilt her up to speak to him, as if she needed any reminders that he was the one in control. She spent perhaps a second too long staring at the drink in his outstretched hand, probably looking like some sort of loony. You're being paranoid. She told herself, finally giving in and taking the cup. He's just being polite, that's all.

"I do not get plastered, Ricardo." She forced herself to ignore the annoying thrill that went through her when she said his name. "And no, Finn and I walked here." She almost winced at the snappiness of her tone, immediately feeling guilty for answering such a normal question like that. "Thank you, though, for worrying...or whatever it is you're doing." As if to show him she was thankful, she brought the cup up to her lips and drank a good few gulps of the cola. She would've drank more if it weren't for the arm that had somehow snaked its way around her waist, causing her to take a hasty step back. No one did that to her. Not even Finn. She hated it. She felt herself starting to panic.

"Sorry, I need some fresh air." She offered Ricardo a quick smile, clumsily thrusting her cup back into his hand, offering him another mumbled 'sorry', and made her exit. Where was the bloody back door in this place? Alice wove her way through the swaying crowds of people, trying to make sense of her surroundings, even though they were swaying dangerously about her. Had she really drunk that much before she got here? She needed Finn right now, but looking for him in this swirling mess of colour was hopeless. She didn't even know if Ricardo was following her or not. She doubted he cared that much. Just when she was about to give up and find some corner to sit and cry in, her eyes landed on the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The back door. Trying not to stumble as she made her way over to it, her mind took an oddly long time to figure out how to open the damned thing. When it did, however, and when she finally was met by fresh air (albeit, fresh air polluted by the stench of the smokers outside, but fresh air nonetheless), she let out a long sigh of relief. She had certainly cooled down, but her mind was no less groggy. And, judging by the way amused glances were being thrown her way, she looked as dazed as she felt. Far away, she knew one part of her mind was screaming at her to get a grip, but the rest of her was urging her to have fun, to let loose and to live a little. And maybe she would do just that.

A mischievous grin perked up in the corner of Victoria’s lips watching Finn’s reactions. He looked so cute at this moment, like a lost little kid in a supermarket. She took note at first of his wandering eyes, on her body. This confirmed one major thing for her- she was still able to charm him. It was lucky for both of them that the drinks had been flowing, because otherwise, the stars and planets couldn’t align for Victoria to be so flirty with Finn, and for Finn to not want to run away from her. Victoria began to see this as her chance to start making moves. Besides, the sooner she made moves, she hoped she could get ahead of Ricardo. Finn asked for a second about Alice, and Victoria had to try hard to prevent her emotions from showing, specifically distaste for that name. When he asked had she seen her, Victoria just shrugged. ”I only saw you come into the kitchen. She may just be socializing. Why? Is she your girlfriend?” Victoria inquired. At this point she smiled wildly, having to avoid allowing her malicious intentions show. She wouldn’t be surprised if the duo were dating. As Victoria noted earlier, they were practically conjoined at the hip like Siamese twins. It was a rare sight as of right now to see him all alone, his defense slightly down. If they were dating... oh, how absolutely satisfying would it be for Victoria to hook-up with Alice's boyfriend, just to spite her!

He seemed to ponder a while on whether or not he had played a drinking game. Was that really such a complicated question for him? Was he actually over thinking such an innocent question? While he seemed lost in thought, Victoria’s eyes shifted to some of her clique girls and she quickly whistled a tune to get their attention. Much like well-trained dogs, they turned their heads to her. She made a gesture with her hands and mouthed to them ‘Sip or Strip!’ The three girl’s eyes lit up and they turned their attention back to their respective guys. It was obvious that her minions began to ask their guys if they wanted to play ‘Sip or Strip!’ with them. It was all a resounding yes from the three guys. Victoria, turning back to Finn, finally got her answer. A drinking game virgin! This was going to be even more fun! ”Well, if you really enjoy drinking. You’ll enjoy playing with us. Come on then!” She reached forward and grabbed his hand, without giving him a chance to make up his mind, she pulled him away.

It didn’t take too long for the 4 girls and 4 guys to find a more… private place for them to play. The room strongly resembled an office, with a few bookshelves full of books- primarily in Spanish. There was a desk, a carpeted floor, a few other little decorations here and there. It helped the Ignacio family appear to be normal. On the floor, the three girls pulled their matches with them, and they began to form a circle on the carpet. Victoria made her way to the office desk and opened a drawer, pulling out a deck of cards. Most of the guys were looking at one another, sly grins all growing on their faces. They all knew what was coming, however Finn obviously wasn’t in on the joke. ”Oh! Sit, sit sit, Finn!” Victoria grabbed his shoulders gently, but pushed him down to sit on the floor. She quickly plopped down beside him, and crossed her legs. ”Finn here has never played ‘Sip or Stip!’ before.” Victoria announced to the group. Some of the girls giggled and the guys seemed to wink at Finn. Victoria began to focus on shuffling the deck while some of the more burly guys in the room began to shoot thumbs up to Finn. Victoria finished shuffling and began to deal out two cards to each player. ”It is like a fast paced poker, if you ever played. Pretty much the player with the strongest hand wins. All of the other losers either have to sip- as in take a swig from their drinks, or strip- well, that should be obvious.” Victoria giggled in a flirtatious manner. She scooted slightly closer towards Finn and began to lay out three additional cards on the ground. She picked up her own cards and compared. Between the cards in her hand, and the cards on the floor, she saw that she had 3 of a Kind. Not a bad hand on their first go around. People started to place their hands down. A few people had a high card, a few had a pair, and Victoria revealed her Three of a Kind, trumping the rest of them. A few laughs erupted, some of the guys and girls grabbed their drinks, taking a large swig of their drink. One of the girls spoke up, ”Aww… I left my drink in the living room!” She pouted, before she could start to get up, one of the guys stretched out their hands to stop her. ”Woah, woah, woah! You can’t go! Once the game starts, you gotta play until there is only one person left with clothes on. You forgot your drink- so you have to stirp, Chelsea! I’ll do it with you, if it makes you feel better!” The guy tore off his shirt, revealing his rather well tanned and muscular chest to the group. A few of the other girls cheered playfully, and even Victoria clapped in response. As Chelsea began to pull her filly top off exposing her bra, Victoria turned her attention to Finn. ”So? What is your hand?”

Out in the living room, Ricardo wasn’t very surprised when Alice suddenly pushed away from him, in an attempt to escape from him. He must have moved a bit too fast for her taste, much against his own liking. He needed to get this show on the road, get that dress off! He wasn’t about to let Victoria beat him. But he smiled as she began to siphon her drink. Ah, yes! Be a good girl and take your medicine, Ricardo thought. But she suddenly shoved it back in his hand. She didn’t drink all of it, but no worries. It seemed it was already working its charms as she tried to push through the dancing crowd. It must have really been working, because she probably circled the room three times before finally finding the back sliding glass door. Wow, she looked so adorable when intoxicated like that, and an animalistic instinct seemed to wake up within Ricardo. Oh no, she ran away from him! It was a good thing though, the Ricardo enjoyed the thrill of the chase. To be a predator stalking on his innocent, unaware prey. He threw away the cup and the rest of its contents, grabbed a beer from a nearby cooler, and coolly followed Alice to the back door. Outside most of the guys were still passing around a joint, being caught off guard from the sudden appearance of Alice. ”Alice. Be careful. I don’t want you to trip on the steps.” Ricardo touched Alice’s hips again, but only to help steady her and take a step down from the house and into the backyard.

Some would describe Ricardo’s backyard as a tropical paradise. There was a large infinity pool, a hot tub, tiki lights, a few hammocks, and a few tables set up for beer pong and other drinking games of the sort. A few people noticed Alice come out, and a few of them cheered and waved. Although Finn was a nobody, Alice wasn’t completely an outcast. There were plenty of other people who recognized her and knew she had never been to one of Ricardo’s legendary parties before. There were a handful of people swimming around in the pool too. Some of them were in swimsuits, as they knew prior to the party that they would want to go swimming. Although there were a few guys and girls who were only wearing their underwear, or panties and bras for the girls. A few swam to the side, watching Alice walk out. ”Hey! Alice! I didn’t know you were here! Come get in the pool with us!” A girl cheered out and Ricardo grinned towards Alice. ”It is very hot out! Even after the sun has set! It would feel good to cool off in the pool, don’t you think?” Ricardo tried to coax Alice with his voice. Ricardo was recognizing the fact that he couldn’t linger too long with Alice, or she would start to show signs of being uncomfortable, much to his own dismay. So he walked away from her, joining his friends to have a few more hits from the passing joint. But, Ricardo also kept a close, eagle eye on Alice from a distance. He knew that she was starting to feel the effects of the roofie, and he had to make sure that no other predators tried to swoop in and steal his prey. So he called to her from a distance. ”Take it easy for once, Chica! You’re always so high-strung! Let loose!”

Alice was trying ridiculously hard not to look like she was even nearly as intoxicated as she felt, nonchalantly fixing her hair as she tried to clear the swimming thoughts in her head. She attempted to not flinch away as surprisingly gentle hands led her outside, and failed, trying to make her shrinking away from the touch as polite as possible, especially when she turned her head and realised it was Ricardo helping her. Furrowing her brow and placing her hands on her hips, something that her head told her was a threatening thing to do while it actually just made her look like a stroppy child, she spoke exactly what was on her mind.

"Why are you helping me, Ricardo? You've never so much as noticed me for two years unless it was to traumatise Finn some more." She could hear her words slurring together slightly and cringed inwardly at it, but she continued to talk nonetheless. "And you're practically Victoria's sidekick." She pointed her finger at him accusingly, before dropping it and taking on a more sincere tone. "Why do you care?"

It did not take long, however, for Alice to be dristracted by the voices calling to her from a suspiciously low angle, and she tried to follow the voices with her gaze. A pool! She couldn't help but recall the conversation she had had with Ricardo earlier that day, and felt heat flood to her cheeks. Shaking her head she took a step back from the pool, watching in panic as she realised that some of them were swimming in their underwear in front of everyone. Did they expect her to do the same?

She watched with a surge of relief, and a surprising jolt of disappointment, as Ricardo left to go speak to others. And yet the others continued to call on her, coaxing her towards the pool as if she was some sort of frightened animal. Was she really that pathetic? Letting out a deep sigh and muttering a few 'fuck it's, Alice made her way over to the pool and slowly, carefully sat on the edge. She was being careful not to get her dress wet, but such a task was rather impossible sitting next to a group of splashing teenagers. She recognized most of them from when she was friends with Victoria - when she would've jumped into the pool without a care in the world - so she felt herself relax as they involved her in their conversation. She was asked how she'd been and what she'd been up to, while still avoiding the topic of Victoria, much to her relief. Such was the same with most catch ups she had these days - her past friendships were untouched territory and no one cared change that. She was actually starting to enjoy herself, and had almost forgotten about the alarming way the other end of the pool was swimming in and out of focus and how every so often she felt like those around her were speaking very, very quietly behind the ringing in her ears. At least, she was enjoying herself until Ricardo spoke up again from the other side of the garden.

The worst part about what he said was that it was 100% right. She so, so badly wanted to just jump in and have fun, but the one part of her brain that was not spinning was telling her not to. After a moment of thought, she leaned back from her spot next to the pool on her hands, a sweet-as-sugar smile gracing her features.

"In this state? Nah, I'd rather not go in there alone." She pretended to think some more, her intoxicated mind telling her that this was utter genius. "Since you're so fixated on my wellbeing, though, I'd happily go in if you did." The stifled laughter from those around her satisfied her completely. Of course he wasn't going to go in! He had a reputation to protect. She was a genius.

Meanwhile, Finn was feeling much less proud of himself. In fact, it seemed as though he had been thrust into a situation that he really, really did not want to be in. Sitting in this office-type room with a bunch of kids he barely knew was bad enough, but having to strip in front of them? It was a no from him. Truth be told, he wasn't ashamed of his body - he reckoned his physique wasn't too bad, actually, but he knew for a fact that Victoria Steel had seen way, way better and some weird part of his mind longed to impress her.

And he hadn't been doing too shabby, he thought, until he had been dragged in here. She had asked him if Alice was his girlfriend and that, according to Alice herself, meant she was more than just politely interested. And he replied with just what she had told him to, "Nah, I'm just there for her, and she's there for me." With a simple shrug and a half-smile. She had told him that girls love it when a guy is sensitive, so that would shoe them just that. Then again, he doubted that 'sensitive' was really on the top of Victoria's turn ons. And now they were in a room together. Stripping. Not quite in the way that he had admittedly imagined it to be with any girl - but this was mortifying enough. He was just about to set his cup down and leave when he watched another girl sitting across from his and trying to do the same, with the same excuse he was about to use. Shit. If she wasn't allowed out, then he certainly wouldn't be, seeing as Victoria had, for some reason, claimed him as her own.

Trying to ignore the girl that was now topless in front of him, Finn studied his cards and let out a long sigh. Fuck. Of course, it was now that he was having bad luck while playing cards as opposed to his usual good hands. He had one pair. How was that fair? Laying his cards down flat in front of him, he shrugged as nonchalantly as he could and gulped down his drink, only to find it completely finished after one big sip. Well, he had to win from now on if he wanted to keep his clothes on.

He his nerves behind to melt as the next hand was laid out, and he found himself settling a little. The warmth of the alcohol had dissolved a lot of his inhibitions already, so a part of him was glad that his cup was now empty. He didn't fancy throwing up all over Ricardo Ignacio's ridiculously extravagant house. His hand was not as bad this time and, realising it was his turn to reveal them first, he spread them out in front of him. A flush, all hearts. He even allowed himself to smile as he sat back and watched everyone groan and curse, enduring their punishment. Maybe this game wasn't so bad. With his piercing eyes settling on Victoria, he glaced down at the card in her hand. "Go on, then. Show us your hand."

Joint in hand and taking a drag, Ricardo watched Alice as she seemed to tango with the idea of going into the pool. It was of much luck to Ricardo that so many others wanted her to join them in the cool water. Not for the same intentions as Ricardo of course, they were genuine “friends” to Alice. It was her first time at one of his crazy parties, and they wanted her to have just as much fun as they always had. Ricardo grinned with a slight maliciousness at the corner of his lips. Thanks for doing his little bidding, unknowingly. But even in her drunken and slightly drug-induced haze she was still very sharp minded. He didn’t blame her either. Any smart girl would be wary of Ricardo’s kindness as it always hid a more true, personal intention. He released the smoke from his lungs before passing it to his bozo friends around the circle. One of them spoke up, “¿Por qué la quieres?” Why did he want her? Ricardo just laughed shaking his head. No, he didn’t want her. He wanted 20 grand from Victoria, that was where his true loyalty lied, with Mistress Moolah. But when Ricardo just grinned, his pack assumed his normal intentions with any girl. It wasn’t an uncommon thought among most of the guys at Oak Pointe that Alice had a rocking body, and everyone wanted to do with it. But Alice was not an easy girl to get their hands on.

Ricardo raised a curious brow as Alice sat at the edge of the pool, dipping her silky legs into the crystal-clear water. Ricardo’s eyes followed those legs up until her dressed interrupted his imagination. A true let down. Alice was really going to make him work for her trust, it seemed. But, this was all just a fun game. And Ricardo was fully ready to play. A few of his rowdy friends laughed, patting Ricardo’s back or playfully whistle when Alice announced she wouldn’t get in unless he did. What a fun challenge, huh? But if that was all it took to get her to dress down, then challenge accepted. Ricardo sauntered over to the pool, confident in his stature. His hands were already at his belt and unfastening it. He was standing at the edge beside Alice, but gave himself a good amount of distance from her. Slow and steady wins the race, and he was going to have to work on building that trust before diving head first. He spoke calmly, and low enough to direct his voice only to Alice, while his blue eyes reflected the bright water. “You’re a smart chica, Alice. You don’t let your guard down just for anyone. I’m the same way. I don’t let anyone get close that I know won’t stab me in the back.” Of course, he was more so referring to people he let close in his drug dealings, but she didn’t have to know that. He reached his strong arms behind his back, pulling his tank top smoothly over his head and throwing it off to the side. Ricardo wasn’t ripped, but he did have a sea of muscles resting under his tan skin.

He chuckled slightly, turning his head to look at Alice. “Sidekick? Aye aye! You insult me so.” Ricardo held his hand to his heart, feigning dramatically. “I’m not like her little clique waiting on her hand and foot. She is my friend, but I don’t do her bidding. She knows I’m one of the few guys she can’t control.” He chuckled, and now pulled down his denim pants, revealing his skin-tight, black boxer briefs. He threw them off to the side with his tank top. His friends back in the circle were now yelling and cheering at him teasingly, a few whistles here and there. But he ignored them, it wasn’t the first time he had stripped down like this at one of his parties. Whether it was to go swimming, or playing one of Victoria’s little card games. Wow, it just clicked with Ricardo that her card games were probably how Victoria was going to get little Finn to undress for her. Ricardo chuckled and shook his head. Stupid girl, it would have been easier to get him naked alone than around other people too. Ricardo suspected his brain would be so fried from seeing so many naked girls that he wouldn’t function. “I’m only keeping an eye on you, watching over you, because I can’t seem to take these eyes off of you. You can choose to still not trust me. That is fine, belleza… But I do hope I can trust you enough to keep up your side of a deal.” He shot her a quick wink, taking a few steps back, and then running towards the pool to dive in, splashing water everywhere. Poking his head back over the surface, Ricardo took in a quick breath and ran his fingers through his now soaked hair. He extended his hand out towards Alice. “Don’t be shy. That water’s fine! The perfect cool refresher to such a hot day! Though I recommend ditching the dress, you won’t be comfortable walking around in a waterlogged dress later.” He shot her his charming, signature grin. But he still held his distance as to not overly intimidate her.

Victoria’s keen eyes glanced at the now empty cup left in Finn’s hand and she just chuckled. “You drank through your one line of defense so quickly! You must be eager to show off something!” Victoria’s honey words slipped from her lips, continuously scooting closer towards Finn. She was getting too much enjoyment out of teasing the poor guy, who obviously was shaken up by the situation he was in. Oh, he seemed so innocent and it seemed to only fuel Victoria’s lust for teasing the poor boy. She craved the feeling of power over others, and he was making it so easy for her to indulge in his nerves. So, Alice and Finn weren’t dating? It was a genuine surprise to Victoria, as she figured the two losers would be a perfect match for one another. Also the fact that they seemed to be inseparable besides this one moment at this party. Oh, he was just a sweet gentleman, wasn’t he? She was going to get too much enjoyment out of trying to corrupt him over the summer.

But Victoria was set back when Finn revealed a flush on the next hand. She noticed the suit and she just giggled, sitting up before revealing she merely had a high card. “Flush of Hearts? How romantic, hmm?” She teased, and watched as the rest of the girls and guys either continued with drinks, or pulled off an additional article of clothing. Victoria sat up and reached her hands into the front of her romper. There was a quick little click and from it she procured a strapless bra with the buckle in the front. Buckling the cups back in place in her hands, she shot a sweet smile to Finn before playfully tossing her bra into Finn’s lap. “To the victor goes the spoils!” In that moment, Victoria wondered if Finn had ever even seen a bra in his entire life, and she had to stifle laughter from erupting from her chest. Victoria closed in on Finn, once again getting so close that their bodies were just mere centimeters from brushing one another.

“Shoes and shocks don’t count, Robbie! And your know that! Only clothes above the knees count!” One of the girls bursted, as one of the guys was trying to get away with taking off a single sneaker. “What if a girl wore knee high stockings or something? How do those get count?” Victoria’s attention from Fin was diverted to the group for a second, and she was left just shaking her head and clicking her tongue. “Tsk, tsk. So many cheaters here tonight! Go ahead and pull off what socks and shoes you have- because those puppies don’t count. Only upper bodywear counts!” As her eyes traveled to one of the other guys, now shuffling and dealing, it stuck Victoria that of everyone in the room she was of a severe disadvantage. Her underwear and a romper were the only things that graced her body at the moment, so she was going to have to get very lucky not to lose all of her clothes before Finn. Especially since he was wearing an additional layer- a jacket. She decided her best course of action was going to be to try and manipulate it off him, not counting it as a loss. “Are you not burning up in that jacket? Summer break has started and it was so hot today.” She purred almost with concern, looking up at his face with her big blue eyes. She placed her palm on his chest, smoothly moving her hands up to his shoulder and under his jacket, playfully trying to knock it off his shoulder. From what her fingers could feel, he was relatively firm. He wasn’t built like some of the other guys in the room, but she could tell he wasn’t just chub underneath that shirt. She was growing more curious, she wanted to see him with those clothes off. She managed to make his jacket fall off his shoulders and the next hand was dealt. Victoria immediately flipped her cards, revealing a two pair. But it didn’t matter as one of the guys cheered out, ”Full House!” showing off his cards. Victoria snickered, reaching for her not quite finished drink to take a huge sip. She was getting low on her own drink as well, so she needed to tread carefully. “Come on, Finn. Stop hiding.” She teased Finn again, having now moved her hand from his shoulders and bringing it to rest on his thigh. She was talking about hiding his cards from the group, but she was insinuating he should stop hiding what he was packing from her.

Well, shit. He had actually done it. Alice's plan had backfired tremendously. Why couldn't she have just said no? Why did she have to make everything so bloody difficult for herself? In amongst the silent curses she was wishing upon herself, however, was her surprise at the genuinity of Ricardo's words as he spoke next to her. Although the statement itself didn't surprise her, for she had always suspected that he kept people distanced for a reason similar to her own, it was the fact that he was saying it in the first place that made her raise an eyebrow as she traced the water with her finger tips, leaving behind tiny ripples that lapped at her submerged legs.

"You know, that's the first thing you've said tonight that I actually believe." She made sure to lower her voice too, so that only he could hear her. Intoxicated though she was, most of her mind knew he was up to something - not even the trusting, naive Alice would fall for Ricardo Ignacio's charms. At least, not until he took his clothes off. Averting her eyes as much as she could from the practically naked boy in beside her, Alice became suddenly very fascinated by the grating at the side of the pool and how... metallic it was. She was not used to seeing someone so exposed that she was even remotely attracted to, difficult though it was to admit. And now that he was in the pool, hand outstretched towards her, she couldn't help but let her gaze wander over so slightly. She snatched her eyes back up to his eyes as soon as she realised she was doing it, however, and frowned, listening to what he had to say about her 'sidekick' comment.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too." Although she muttered the words about Victoria, she couldn't help but notice seemingly everyone around them lean in slightly, to catch even the tiniest sliver of gossip. She didn't give them the satisfaction, however, as she dragged her mind away from her enstrangement from the school's Class-A bitch and onto more pressing matters. How was she going to back out of this one?

She could cry. In front of all of these people? No way. She could run away. But where? She had struggled enough even getting here. She could about for Finn, or even pretend he had had some sort of terrible accident that she had to help him with. But, no, both of those options made it seem as if one of the pair were just ridiculously dependent on the other. She had to do it. Alice had to take her dress off and swim. In public.

There was one big thing that was stopping her from just getting up and getting it over with. If she was to take off her dress, then everyone would see what she had hidden for years. But if she kept her dress on, the dress would be ruined and her stepfather would literally kill her coming home in a soaking wet white dress. It was then that drunk Alice spoke up in her mind, presenting another new idea that seemed to be utter genius. Maybe if Ricardo saw, he would be so disgusted that he'd finally leave her alone! And then she could put her dress back on, find Finn and go home - no harm done.

Her legs were out of the pool and she was standing up before she could change her mind, allowing a small smirk to Grace her features. "Since you're just so desperate to see me without my clothes on." Was she only explanation she offered him as she pulled the dress up and over her head, revealing the plain-ish underwear she had on underneath. She doubted that anyone would be paying attention to her underwear, however, as she took a step forward towards the pool and the long, spidering scar that travelled up the inside of her thigh came into view. She had never shown this much skin before. Ever. She had never been particularly ashamed of the way she looked - she knew she was pretty toned from the times she spent at the gym, trying to get away from life in general, and she wasn't exactly flat-chested, but the remnants of a gash on the inside of her thigh had always been something she had wanted to hide. But drunk Alice thought it was a wonderful idea. And for some strange reason, drunk Alice was showing all of her colours tonight.

Before she could make even more of a fool out of herself, Alice pulled her hair out of it's bun - yet another thing she would never do otherwise - and slipped into the pool, ignoring Ricardo's outstretched hand. She allowed a small smile to soften her features as she felt the cool water cut through the haze in her mind - not getting rid of it completely, but sharpening her thoughts nonetheless. Crossing her arms over her somewhat exposed chest, she finally faced the sole reason why she was in this pool in the first place.



Finn, on the other hand, was just as, if not more, uncomfortable with the situation he had been thrust into. Not only had he involuntarily removed his best option to strip, his jacket, thanks to Victoria, but her bra was now sitting on his lap. He was no stranger to girls underwear - having a sister and Alice as his best friend meant that he was given full access to those kinds of things, whether he wanted it or not. This strange contraption, however, was not something he'd seen before. How the hell did that thing work? Where were the straps? And why did it look strangely back-to-front? Trying not to look like a 'right muppet', as Alice would say, he leaned back on his elbows and stayed quiet for the time being, watching others in silence. At least, that was until Victoria started to take his jacket off for him, her finger tips so gently leaving trails of tingles up his arms in their wake.

"Sneaky move. I see what you're doing." Finn spoke with a lot more confidence than he felt, probably as a result of all that he had drunk. "I'll let you take that, then. We'll make it a trade." He glaced down as the strange bra on his lap and pushed his jacket towards her, pretty much regretting it immediately as he already felt so naked in a room of strangers.

It was only when Victoria's hand moved down to his thigh, causing his heartbeat to pretty much triple in speed, that he shifted away from her as smoothly as he could. He masked the movement by running a worried hand through his hair, sneaking a glance at her almost-empty cup. He had no intentions of getting stark naked in front of these people, and the only way not to was sitting right there in front of him. Watching as Victoria set down her cup and turned her attentions onto him, he allowed a smirk to light up his face and he shrugged. "So says the rules." And so he lifted his arms up over his head and took off his t-shirt, pushing away the embarrassmebt and focusing on what his intentions were.

At the last second, Finn dropped his t-shirt in front of both him and Victoria. Right on top of her cup. Which was subsequently toppled over and spilled the remnants onto the floor. Despite the fact that the actual was purposeful, Finn scrambled to right his supposed accident, onto resulting in even the last few drops being shook out of the cup and onto the floor, leaving Victoria with no drink at all

"Shit! Sorry Victoria! Fuck. I'm an idiot." Offering her an apologetic smile, he sat back slightly and took the cup so it sat in the corner next to his empty one. "Looks like we're both in trouble now." It was only now that he started to feel somewhat self-conscious of sitting there half-naked, and couldn't help but curse himself for all of those times he had stayed in bed instead of going to the gym with Alice. He prayed to God that Victoria would, realising the predicament of her inevitable nakedness, would call off the game and let him put his clothes back on, or else he was in for far more embarrassment than he already felt.

It seemed Alice could be almost as spiteful as Victoria, Ricardo concluded to himself. She seemed to make it apparent to him that she was not interested in him whatsoever. Perhaps she hadn’t had enough of his special drink for her to just let go and relax. It seemed he may be out of 20 grand tonight at this rate… Or, perhaps if he was lucky, the two of them could stalemate tonight, and neither would win. Either way, either Alice’s clothes would eventually come fully off, or no one’s clothes were coming off tonight! Alice was trying so hard not to look at him when he undressed, but he was quick to notice her slightly curious eyes rake him over before snapping to his eyes. Any girl would like to see the image of Ricardo standing in a pool, half naked, and beckoning them in. It was like a fly to sugary water… though this sugar water was being used as a trap.

Ricardo raised his eyebrow inquisitively seeing smirk glint across Alice’s face. What was she planning? He watched the white dress begin to pull off Alice’s body though. She wasn’t a coward, or at least she didn’t want the people around her to perceive her as such. People began to whistle, hooting and hollering, as Alice slipped off her white dress, and even Ricardo couldn’t hold back a growing grin. Even if she didn’t want to get naked in front of all these people, he assumed his charm was enough to have convinced her to get undressed. Her underwear was… pretty plain. Boring and unexciting from the plethora of undergarments Ricardo had experienced in his life time. But there was no denying her appearance. She had a full chest, some good hips, and a slim body, the only fault he seemed to catch was… a scar? And it wasn’t one of those little ‘I bumped my head as a child, and got a few stitches’ scar. This looked like it was large… and has been excruciatingly painful. Ricardo wasn’t the only one who was suddenly shocked by the revelation, but a few people went quiet, all eyes locking onto her now exposed legs. No one seemed to know that she had such a scar, no one had ever seen her in shorts before, or clothes that didn’t cover them.

But it was apparent to Ricardo how Alice didn’t hide away this revelation, that she wasn’t ashamed of it or embarrassed by it. Perhaps she was a lot stronger of a woman than she led him to believe. Any other girl would have probably started to cry, or run away. But she wasn’t afraid to show who she was, in front of her classmates, and to someone who was practically a stranger, Ricardo. He would be lying if he didn’t admit that he found her slight bravery kind of attractive, an interesting change in pace from the bashfully, whiny girls he had mostly hooked up with in the past. For once, Ricardo seemed at a loss of words when she let her long silvery hair down, and slipped into the cool, refreshing water. He put his hand down, keeping his eyes locked on Alice. Perhaps this little game of cat and mouse would be more fun. A few other eyes tended to linger when Alice got into the pool, a few murmurs here and there of ‘did you see that?’ and ‘how do you think she got that scar’ floated around in the air, but Ricardo didn’t let it distract him from his own goals. Instead he pulled on his sweet grin. “That wasn’t too bad, was it, Chica? And yes, I have to say I am very happy now. What man wouldn’t be happy seeing such a lovely body, and a nice pair of legs.” Though the scar had caught Ricardo off guard, it didn’t particularly bother him. He had seen more gruesome things in his life, a little scar was nerve wracking.

Ricardo moved towards the edge of the pool and put his fingers in his mouth, whistling twice in rapid succession. One of the guys from the circle stood up, bringing him a solo cup of whatever Ricardo was drinking earlier, and set it down for him. Ricardo took a hearty swig, and nodded towards Alice. “Bring Alice here a drink, won’t you. Oh y… Regístrese en la reina.” He spoke with a low voice a the last statement. He wanted to know how far Victoria was now getting with that loser Fin. The grunt nodded and turned around, making his way back to the house. Ricardo turned back to Vicky, taking a long chug of his drink and sighing in relief. “So, Belleza, you have never come to any of my parties before, much to my own dismay… I hope you are enjoying yourself so far. Does it not feel good, letting off some steam and just enjoying life for once?” He grinned playfully, watching as a few guys and girls on the other end of the pool started to play Chicken Fight, two girls sitting on the shoulders of two guys and trying to wrestle the other one off. Ricardo laughed merrily as one of the girls fell of and splashed into the water below. “See? Like that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you have fun in your life once.” He took another swig of his drink, running his hand through his wet hair.

Victoria smiled to herself as Finn allowed her to sneak his jacket away. It was already warm from him wearing it too, double score! What could Victoria say, just about any girl was a known jacket fiend and Victoria was no exception. In fact, she had a whole closet in her home dedicated to each jacket she collected from every boy she hunted down. It was like a trophy collection, and Finn didn’t seem to know it would be added to her collection. Victoria flipped the jacket onto her shoulders, not missing the little squirm of Finn trying to escape her feely fingers. It was kind of insulting, she had never had a guy move away from her advances like that. She knew he was probably nervous but… that as rather unexpected on Victoria’s end. With the little kick to her ego, Victoria sat up again, watching with slight distance as Finn pulled off his t-shirt, revealing his chest underneath. Hey, it wasn’t that bad. In fact, he had more muscle and tone than she had been expecting. She was more or less expecting to see just skin, and the outline of his rib cage. Not bad, Finn, not bad.

But, without much time to react, he knocked over her drink and spilt it all over the floor. The others in the circle had to act fast to snatch up the cards, as to avoid them getting damaged, but it was too late. A few of the cards were now covered in an alcoholic concoction. It didn’t take a magnifying glass to be able to differentiate the cards from the others in the desk, making it obvious to any players what cards were in whose hands. One of the girls in the circle scrambled to her feet. “I’ll go get some paper towels. I’ll be right back!” Before anyone could stop her, she hopped to her feet, threw on her blouse, and hurried out of the room. With one person gone from the circle, Victoria could already see disaster on the horizon. Breaking up the circle of Sip or Strip was a slippery slope, leading to one expected outcome. The boy who had been partnered with said girl, quickly arose to his own feet, pulling his shirt back on as he headed out to the party. “I’ll see if she needs my help!’ And one by one, the rest of the circle started to break apart, throwing back on whatever skirts and shirts they had just peeled off. It didn’t fully signal the end of the game. In fact, the game was still going for them, as each couple was going to find a good chance to sneak off later, and find an unoccupied bedroom or broom closet. Victoria was hoping that more clothes would come off in the process, but it seemed her own luck was running out.

Gathering the cards, Victoria’s eyes seemed a little sullen. With the little blast to her ego and the abrupt end to her game, she could already feel the dollar bills slipping out of her purse. She must have been a real idiot to wager so much cash over something so stupid with Ricardo. Victoria sighed slightly and put the cards away. She was going to have to replace them later…

But maybe her luck hadn’t completely ran out, because as she turned back towards the room, she discovered that only she and Finn remained in the room, as the rest quickly scurried for a more private place. Perhaps, this was for the better. Victoria made her way to the light switch on the wall, pulling the switch downwards a little. The lights dimmed to a soft hum, and Victoria looked back over her shoulder. What blue eyes that were once sullen and gloomy, where now sultry and seductive. Victoria made her way back Finn, running her fingers through her hair, and grabbing a strand to playfully twist between her fingers. She playfully pouted at first, her eyes slowly trailing up Finn’s chest and locking on his bright blue eyes. “Hmpf… seems like we are all that’s left, Finn…” She purred slightly, reaching her hand to rest on his elbow.

Alice had been, to say the least, somewhat surprised by Ricardo's lack of repulsion towards her bareness. Surely, he must be so accustomed to seeing girls that were basically Goddesses, that Alice was next to nothing in comparison? But Ricardo's impressed face said otherwise, and caused an involuntary flush to warm her cheeks as she settles into the cool water.

She chose to say nothing to his statement regarding her legs, having no interest in his smug charm or practiced compliments. Tracing a finger along the surface of the water, every so often her gaze would flickee up to Ricardo - it might have seemed suggestive, but she was merely doing it to make sure he was actually still there, and this wasn't some unsettling figment of her imagination. She was definitely thinking more clearly, now she was in the pool, so she found herself relaxing slightly. His presence no longer made her feel as uncomfortable, and she had grown used to the butterflies that teased her abdomen every time their eyes met.

"Yeah, this isn't too bad. But you're wrong. I have fun all the time, just not your kind of fun." She bravely took a step closer to Ricardo, her gaze hesitating on his lips before meeting his eyes. She was following the same instructions one particular queen B had given her a long time ago when it came to unsettling the opposite sex. She wanted nothing more than to see that look of surprise painted across his features again.

"I know what you think of me, Ricardo Ignacio." Alice made sure his name dripped off her tongue like honey, licking her lips as if she was savouring the taste of it. "I'm not some boring, uptight freak. I can be just as...amusing as these other girls." She was leaning closer and closer into him as she spoke, close enough even to see her reflection in his eyes. Her gaze dropped lower, for a fraction of a second, teasing, before she abruptly leaned back again before he could do anything about it, her seductive front broken.

"I just choose not to be. I'm not here to let loose, or to 'enjoy life'." She nodded her head defiantly, yet still failed to come up with the reason as to why she was actually here. That was a mystery in itself.

Finn was not so in control. He had ended up in the one situation that he didn't want to be in. He was in a room. Alone. With Victoria Steel. God help him. As the others left the room, one by one, he had the intentions of doing the same, already picking up his t-shirt to put on during his hasty exit. Even through the drunken haze that was his state of mind, he knew a situation like this could only end in one thing.

It was when Victoria turned to look at him, like she was a hunter and he was her prey, that his heart started hammering in his chest. Hard. It was a surprise to him that she couldn't hear it, sitting so close to him. He almost jumped out of his skin when a soft hand rested on his elbow, feeling weirdly ticklish to his intoxicated mind.

"Listen V-Vicky- I mean, Victoria. You're hot - shit, you're g-gorgeous, but I really don't think whatever you're doing is a..." He lost track of his thoughts as he met those sultry blue eyes, and practically had to shake his head to keep talking. "A mistake! Yep, a huge mistake."

He could almost hear Alice laughing at him. Shit. Alice. She would murder him if she found out he had been in a room, alone with Victoria. Wait, why was that again? His drunken thoughts took an age to piece things together. Oh yeah, the girl sitting next to her had practically destroyed his best friend and he was letting her get into his pants. Something in his eyes hardened at that, and he shook her of, somewhat harshly. Standing up while wobbling slightly, Finn snatched up his t-shirt and turned back to face Victoria, wishing his words weren't coming out as slurred as they sounded to his ears.

"No. Nope. I'm leaving now. Thank you for the card game, it was... enlightening. I will not be playing it again. Ever." And with that, he turned to face the door.

Victoria practically squirmed with enjoyment hearing Finn get so nervous. It was obvious in his voice, and practically in his rough breathing. In her head, she could imagine how hard and fast his heart was pounding, as if it would shoot out of his chest. It just made her smile more with glee, having this power over a guy. Having the power to make them squirm and fall prey to her. Yet, he still pulled away from her. A… mistake? She had never heard a guy use that term before in reference to her charm, and for some reason… it felt as if her heart was sinking into her gut. He frantically stood up, grabbing up his shirt and turning away from her to leave the room. He was rejecting her advances? It actually really hurt Victoria. Hurt her ego, that is. No guy has ever been able to resist her charms before, to resist the sexy, longing look she gave guys. They always fell for her appearance yet, Finn could so easily and willingly break away from her.

Alice. That was the first thought that hit Victoria’s mind. Finn claimed they weren’t seeing each other… But even if you aren’t seeing someone, you can still have romantic feelings for them, right? Victoria rose to her feet, wrapping her arms around herself, and gripping tightly to Finn’s jacket that she had wrapped around herself. She started to take it off, but when her exposed skin felt the air, it felt too cold to bear. She kept his jacket on her, not wanting to let it go. Like any spoiled girl, who wasn’t getting what she wanted- wasn’t having everything her way, she came to her last resort. “Is it me or… is it because of Alice?” Victoria’s voice cracked, and the bottom of her eyes began to puff up, tears collecting in her bottom eyelids. The waterworks had started. Victoria took in a deep breath, as if to try and steady herself. “Hot, gorgeous, whatever I am she is always better. If I’m hot, then she is sexy. If I’m gorgeous, then she is radiant.” She felt her voice getting choked up in her throat, and she moved past Finn towards the door, bumping past him as she used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe the tears from her eyes. She looked up at Finn, a few more tears rolling down her cheeks as she wiped them away with the sleeve of his jacket.

“Am I really a mistake to you?...” She barely whispered out, before turning to the door. Swinging it open and slamming it behind her, she left Finn in the room. Taking a deep breath, Victoria regained her exposure, wiping away the tears on her face, and turning off the water show. She marched her way to the living room, seeing out the window where Ricardo and Alice where. Alice… For some reason, she hated her more in this moment than she had for a few months. Victoria reached for the sliding glass door, pulling it open. She had to interrupt whatever was going on between them. Not only to keep Ricardo from winning the bet… but to try and inflict the same hurt on Alice. Though whether or not the latter would be successful was beyond Victoria.

What was this hiccup in his chest that Ricardo felt? He closely observed Alice as she seemed to hone on in him like a missile. Was she trying to charm him? The way her eyes playfully teased him, trying to focus on his face but occasionally looking at his body. Wow, she really knew how to get a buy bothered up, and it only made Ricardo want to chase her more. She was stepping closer, and Ricardo leaned his back against the edge of the pool, taking another sip of his drink, his eyes remaining locked on the silvery haired girl before him. He saw as her eyes darted towards his lips, and for a quick moment he did the same to hers. They were cupid’s bow shaped, full, but not large like some girl’s seemed to like. They reminded Ricardo of a soft bed that he could burry himself in. He could feel his heartbeat increasing slightly as she continued to grow closer to him.

Woah, this was a major shift in gears for Alice. She had once been so appalled by him, she would pull herself away from Ricardo. But now she was playing with him, toying with his mind. It couldn’t be her drink anymore, as Ricardo only began to suspect that it would start to wear off soon. Damn, his chances of seeing Alice naked seemed so far. Yet at the same time, they felt as if it were just in reach as she came so close, he felt as if he could feel her hand on the skin of his chest. His eyebrows shot up, his eyes growing slightly with shock when she said his name. Damn, he loved the way it sounded leaving her lips, it was practically intoxicating. He felt as if he couldn’t breath for a second, his voice caught in his throat as she toyed with him. He felt the urge to… kiss her. And just as that urge crossed his mind, she broke away from him. She was playing him like a violin! Oh, Alice, you cheeky girl! Victoria really did have a run for her money when it came to Alice. No wonder Ricardo’s best friend had felt so threatened by her presence. Alice had probably outdone the master at this point, at least to Ricardo. Victoria had never been able to charm Ricardo before, but now Ricardo slightly understood why so many guys had been so willing to follow Victoria’s bidding.

But Ricardo was stronger than those guys, and he wasn’t about to let Alice play his game against himself. He stood up straighter, his muscles rippling under his skin as he closed in on Alice, backing her up against the wall of the pool side. His gray-blue eyes stared intently back into Alice’s, summing up his competition. He allowed his eyes to hungrily wander up her body again, before locking back on her eyes, producing his charming smile on his lips. “Not here to let loose… or enjoy life. Then, my sweet belleza. What brought you here today?” He moved in on her, looking down into her sweet eyes. He spoke gently, but deeply as he murmured quietly to her. “One doesn’t come to a party to not let loose, or have fun. Something else must have drawn you here… to me, hm?” He purred roughly in his throat, his eyes looking at her lips again. The urge to kiss her seemed to overwhelm him again, but he quickly pushed that away. It wasn’t about that anymore, about that bet. It was personal now, she had turned on something inside himself, and he was enjoying this new game too much.

“You act like you are so repulsed by me… Then why do you tease me so? Let me give you what your heart desires, Belleza…” He spoke smoothly, his hand slowly moving up and out of the water. He cupped her cheek and jaw in the palm of his hand, letting his thumb gently run across her cheek, brushing a small lock of her silvery hair away. “RICARDO! THERE ARE PEOPLE FUCKING IN YOUR PARENT’S ROOM!” The shrill scream of Victoria seemed to pierce the air, snapping Ricardo back into the reality of his party. He looked towards Victoria, glaring and annoyed at her interruption of his game, stepping back from Alice. “Damn.” Ricardo’s eyes glanced at Alice again and he took a deep breath to sigh. “Well… We will have to pick this up again later, hm?” Giving a quick wink, he turned from Alice, climbing out of the pool, grabbing a towel from one of the many sunbathing chairs, and began to dry himself off before heading into the house with Victoria on his tail. Ricardo was quick to notice the jacket that was on Victoria’s shoulders. Obviously belonging to that loser Finn. Shit… was it a trophy? Did she really get that far with him tonight? Damn.

Had she just read his mind? From the second Victoria mentioned Alice's name, that was all Finn could come up with. He had just been thinking about how much of an ultimate betrayal him hooking up with the most gorgeous girl in school would be to Alice, when Victoria demanded to know if it was because of her. But as she continued talking, Finn realised she couldn't have read his mind, because she had gotten it all wrong.

Alice had told him about Victoria's insecurities, about the ultimate reason behind their fallout, but he had never really believed her - assuming that it was just Alice being Alice, and looking for the best in everyone and the worst in herself. But as the hurt rang clear in Victoria's voice, Finn knew that it was far truer than he could have ever imagined. He had only ever seen a girl speak like this once before, and that was when his sister had been dumped by yet another one of her arsehole exes and she refused to eat in front of anybody for close to a month. It had baffled him almost as much as it did now, as he stared at the Goddess in front of him with tears streaming down her perfect cheeks.

Watching helplessly as she pushed past him and left with a door slam he definitely deserved, Finn supposed that he should probably be relieved that it was now only him left in the room, but instead all hr felt was regret. Cold, painful regret.

"Shit. Fuck. Shit." All his drunken mind could do was let him slump against the nearest wall and slide down it, trying to figure out what the fuck just happened.

Alice's heart was in her mouth as the distance closed between her and Ricardo in what seemed, to her, at least, like less than a second and a thousand years at the same time. She was torn between two states of mind - her usual, mentally scarred self was screaming at her to run, to get away from this fiend; but another, unfamiliar part of her wanted him closer, so close that they could melt together into one. It was this part of her that leaned into his hand that gently caressed her face, leaving a burning trail of desire in its wake. She reckoned he would have kissed her, and she would have let him if it wasn't for the ear-splitting scream that could have only belonged to one person interrupting them.

Alice felt a lot more annoyance than she was used to towards the stunning blonde screeching her head off in the garden, before pushing it down and offering her an embarrassed smile that was most likely ignored. Her eyes lingered perhaps a little longer that they should have on the built frame leaving the pool and her behind.

She was just settling back into the water, her heartbeat finally slowing to a somewhat normal pace, when she remembered something she should've remembered a long time ago: Finn. A wave of shame crashed over her as she scrambled out of the pool, ignoring the wolf-whistles that followed her as she pulled her dress over her head, not bothering to dry herself off first. She had been sitting there... canoodling, while he was probably sitting there alone, maybe even looking for her. Glancing at her phone, she winced at the time it read. Her mum and stepfather would be home by now, probably wondering where she was. The time had practically flown by.

She found Finn standing on top of a table, chugging a bottle of Jack, people either chanting his name or filming him. Shoving past the growing crowd, Alice reached up and grabbed his hand, pulling him down from where he stood. Holding him tight as he wobbled slightly before leaning heavily against her, mumbling something about his jacket. Come to think of it, where was that thing? She could've sworn she saw draped around...no, it couldn't have been. Finn was too smart for that. Casting a glance at his face, which looked half-conscious, she made aengal note to ask him about it later.

"Come on. We're going home."

To her surprise, he let out a sharp laugh that had no humour in it. "Home? Neither of us even know what that word means, Alice." The words were barely coherant with the amount he slurred, slumping down on the front porch as Alice let go of him to call for an Uber. He was projecting. He did it every time he was drink. He doesn't mean it.

"My parents hardly even know I exist. And yours - darling Damien is just happy that you're a younger, hotter version of your mom, isn't he?" If it wasn't Finn that was saying it, she would've slapped him, but he'd said it all before. Besides, his tone wasn't malicious, just very tired. Something bad really must've happened to him in there. That didn't mean she was unphased by his words, however, and she shot a quick glance behind them to make sure no one had heard. Idiot.

"Shut up, Finn. The car's here." Not bothering to help her friend up this time, Alice marched across the front lawn to wear a car was waiting, murmuring apologies to the driver in advance as Finn stumbled over to them and practically fell into the backseat in one lurching movement. The car ride consisted of Alice sitting in the front seat and offering the driver somewhat hurried directions, Finn singing 'God Save the Queen's in the backseat and turning an odd shade of green at the last corner, and the driver himself refusing to drive any further for fear of the boy throwing up in his precious car. Apologisong again, Alice stuffed a five dollar bill into the driver's hand as means of a tip and dragged Finn out just in time for him to start throwing up in the nearest bush.

At least she had an excuse for coming home this late. Her mother would consider it heroic of her to take care of her friend in need. Her stepfather, on the other hand, would not be happy. That was something she would tackle in the morning, though. Right now, she had to focus on getting this mess of a boy that bloody spiral staircase of hers.

Victoria followed Ricardo quickly up to the top of the stairs, where Ricardo threw open the door to his parents room. “Get out! Everyone knows this room is off limits!” However, the room was bare and completely clean. Nothing like the wrecked remains of the rest of the house from the party. Victoria pulled the door closed behind her, her eyes staring down at her hands as she pulled the door to. “What gives, Victoria? Ain’t no one in here.” Victoria whipped around, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Ricardo was slightly caught off guard by the sight, the mascara and eyeliner that Victoria had spent hours probably perfecting had left long black streaks down her cheeks, her eyes were a little bit on the blood-shot side as well. Ricardo’s fist clenched, his face becoming serious with anger. Ricardo’s loyalty to Victoria was different from that of the guys she charmed. Where they did her bidding to get a chance at having her, Ricardo’s loyalty laid with Victoria because of their shared power and respect for one another. Seeing Victoria, someone who was practically her sister, like this made Ricardo’s blood boil with rage.

“What happened! Was it Finn?? I swear, I’ll kick that twerp’s ass!” Ricardo growled in his throat and Victoria quickly shook her head. “It wasn’t Finn. It was that damned Alice!” She brought the sleeves of her jacket back to her face, rubbing away the black smudges, she turned her back towards Ricardo, moving towards the window. Ricardo was taken aback for a second, the anger fading slightly to shock. Alice couldn’t have done anything to Victoria, she was with him in the pool almost the entire time. She couldn’t have done something to upset Victoria. Yet, here she was, watching the duo retreat into an uber. Victoria’s jaw clenched watching the two get into an uber together, having to fight back the tears. Her ego was successfully shattered by that complete loser, and he probably didn’t even know it… She felt ashamed.

Ricardo stood by her, watching the both of them retreat as well, but his focus remaining on Alice. Damn, she got away… and yet she had been so close in his grasp. “So… do you want that in wire transfer or?...” Victoria started, and Ricardo watched her with disbelief. She wasn’t serious, was she? Was she actually admitting defeat to Ricardo? It was obvious this stupid bet probably meant more to Victoria than it had Ricardo. What happened between her and Finn to cause this? Ricardo glared out the window again, taking a deep breath. “Ahhh, Mi Reina… The bet isn’t over yet. I haven’t charmed Alice any more than you probably have Finn…” Victoria seemed to shake her head in response, sighing in exasperation. It still bothered Ricardo not knowing what had happened between the two while he had been so distracted by Alice. Did he reject her? It didn’t seem like it, she was wearing his jacket after all. And usually Victoria’s MO was to only hold on to the jackets of guys that she had hooked up with. But if they had hooked up, she would probably be rubbing it in Ricardo’s face, and getting the money off him instead. Even then, Ricardo wondered if Victoria would be whistling a different tune if she knew that he ‘cheated’ by spiking Alice’s drink… Maybe not really cheating, it was just strategy.

Still, he felt pissed at Finn, and he wasn’t going to hold that back next time he saw him around. Victoria seemed to be struggling with turning off the tears, and Ricardo put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Reinaaaaa. Don’t cry over a peasant. Especially not one like Finn. I know what will cheer you up. Let’s clean out the rest of the bottles downstairs. Then tomorrow I’ll treat you to a shopping trip, huh?” Ricardo tried to smile for Victoria, and the prospects of a shopping trip seemed to lift up Victoria’s spirits, as she finally began to calm down.

“Heh, I don’t know if that is a good idea for your wallet.” Victoria teased Ricardo, making her way towards the bedroom door after clearing away the last black stain running down her cheeks. Ricardo chuckled playfully, following suit. “You may be right. But look how it cheered you up instantly… Besides, I have some of my own business to handle there.” Ricardo rubbed the back of his head, returning to the party with Victoria. After getting more drinks in her, Victoria seemed to cheer up, and she tended to her broken ego by grabbing the attention of the basketball team’s captain, away from one of her own little minions. The minion may have been upset, but she wasn’t going to do anything about it- especially if it would anger Victoria. But even having the tall, dark, and handsome man entrapped in her snare, Victoria couldn’t help but replay over and over what happened between her and Finn in the office room. How he flat out rejected her advances. Over and over it played through her mind like a broken record.

While Ricardo worked on polishing off the last of his own bottle, his mind drifted back to being in the pool with Alice. He tried so hard to stitch the pieces of his memories back together. If only he had appreciated the way Alice’s face had looked so nervous for longer… Or how seductive she looked as well, because piecing the memories together didn’t do it justice. He wanted to see that face again.

By 10 o’clock sharp the following morning, the town’s mall was open for business, and of course one of the first to step foot inside was none other than Victoria Steel. Now trading in her party romper for a stylish summer dress. But, it wasn’t the only thing she wore, as she still had the black, ratty jacket that belong to Finn resting on her shoulders. Purse and phone in hand, Victoria took in a deep breath of the mall’s large café. The mall was only one of her many kingdoms, and being here allowed for Victoria to alleviate stress, and allow for the issues of the previous night to slip away. Sitting at one of the food court tables already, was a significantly groggy Ricardo, hiding his steely eyes behind a pair of black sunglasses. His hair was a mess, however his sense of style didn’t seem to fail him this morning. The Latino groaned as Victoria approached, rubbing his face. Obviously hungover. “Global warming is true, Reina… I swear the sun is hotter and brighter than it has ever been before.”

Victoria laughed, playfully knocking off Ricardo’s glasses. Over dramatically, Ricardo caused a scene of falling out of his seat and throwing his legs and arms in the air, practically knocking over the chair and table he sat at. Like a total goofball! Victoria had to stifle laughter, quickly picking up her friend as some security guards were beginning to notice the ruckus. “Oh my god, get up. Get up!! We gotta go! I thought you could handle your drinks better than this, Ricky!” Victoria laughed playfully, pulling Ricardo to his feet and hurriedly running away from approaching security guards.

The first thing Finn registered when he woke up was the foot in his face. The second thing he noticed was that it felt as if someone was saying his head open with a blunt knife from the inside. The light streaming in through Alice's windows did not help the latter. Finn was just about to drift off back to sleep when the foot in his face almost knocked out his front teeth. "Fuck, Alice! I'd rather not have dentures at 18, thanks." He cringed at how loud his voice sounded in the soothing silence of the room, and even moreso at the croakiness of it. How much had he actually drank last night?

After a great deal of moaning and groaning, both Finn and Alice finally managed to force themselves out of the bed they had be lying top-to-toe in. The groans increased tenfold when they realised what time it was - barely past 8 in the morning. Finn was grateful that the pair were so accustomed to sleeping over that they had their own routines figured out to the very minute. First, Finn would go to the bathroom to do his thing there, while Alice chose an outfit and cleaned any mess they had left behind the night before. Then it was Alice's turn in the bathroom, getting changed in there after a quick shower while Finn got changed in whoever's bedroom they were in at the time. They would both then go down to the kitchen together and absolutely butcher a recipe chosen the night before for breakfast, end up binning their radioactive creation and opt for coffee instead. It was little routines like this that kept them both sane.

It was when they were sat at opposite ends of the breakfast bar, sipping on their coffee, that they both finally let their minds wander to the night before. Finn's mind had to try considerably harder to piece together the events that had unfolded, but he managed and felt the crushing wave of regret all the same. All he could see was Victoria's shattered eyes and tear-stained face as he shut her down. Even in hindsight, he couldn't see a good enough reason as to why he would turn down the most beautiful girl he knew. But, at the same time, part of him knew that he had done the right thing. He would be waking up to a whole load of newer, scarier regrets if he had given Victoria Steel what she had wanted.

"You disappeared pretty quickly last night, Al." Although Finn's tone was playful, Alice knew that he wanted to know exactly why she had abandoned him the way she had. Truth be told, she couldn't come up with a good reason. There was only one that even felt like the truth, and she knew it would not sit well with Finn. That reason started with a capital R and ended with trouble. And yet, Alice doubted that she had never felt the way she had last night, backed up against the side of the pool with Ricardo Ignacio's breath on her lips. She couldn't even imagine Finn's reaction to her saying such words out loud, but the attempts to caused an uncontrollable smirk to spread across her features.

"Don't you talk to me about disappearing, Finnlay. No one saw you until the last five minutes, when everyone saw you. Shirtless. Dancing on top of a bloody table." She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at the warm flush that seeped into her friend's otherwise pale complexion.

"Touché. Let's just agree to never talk about last night again. Deal?" He held his hand out as an offering for her to shake it, and she couldn't help but notice the signature hangover shakes that made them tremble slightly. Knocking his hand aside, Alice jumped off of her stool in a movement far too lively for the morning after. "You wish. I have nothing to be embarrassed about." At least not yet. She found herself thinking. It was only a matter of time before word got put about her shenanigans in the pool with a certain host of a certain party.

"Come on. I have books to return to the library." At Finn's crestfallen expression, she rolled her eyes. "I'll treat you to a milkshake too at the mall, sulky. Even though you don't deserve it after the way you treated me last night." Finn was quiet for a long second, probably trying to force the memories to come back to him, obviously failing, from the confused look on his face.

"You had a little tantrum on the front steps about our parents, if I do remember correctly." Alice spoke brightly as she locked the front door they had just left by behind her, but still stole a quick glance at the devastated face of her best friend. "Aw, shit, Alice. I did it again, didn't I? You know I didn't mean it, right? Did anyone hear. I'm so sorry, man." She watched with a tiny pinch of satisfaction at his guilt-stricken face before nudging him gently as a means of forgiving him.

"It's fine. Things haven't been too bad recently, anyway." Catching his suspicious glance as he opened the door to the passenger seat and climbed inside, her voice picked up from it's hushed tones in earnest. "Seriously. Damien's at work most of the time anyway. And when he's not, mum's home to keep an eye on things. I can look after myself, Finn, you know that."

Of course he did. He didn't know anyone else that could get through what Alice does on a day-to-day basis. He also knew there was little he could do about it, though, and he let out a deep sigh, suddenly feeling the need to punch something. His fingers were just closing into fists when a reassuring hand touched them gently, cutting through his anger and mirroring the way he had comforted her just yesterday, even though it had felt like an age. "Hey, milkshake, remember? Chill."

After successfully evading the security guard, Victoria’s eyes graced over the many store windows, trying to decide which one to enter first. Prada, Channel, Georgio Armani, Victoria’s eyes lit up looking at the upper end of the shopping mall. Her heart was practically aflutter and she turned towards Ricardo, outstretching an open palm to him. Ricardo glanced at her bare hand and groaned, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a sleek black card to place in her hands. A no limit card that Ricardo’s family had no issues with paying off occasionally. “Don’t go too crazy, Victoria. My mom will get excited thinking I’m buying her things from these places.” Victoria smiled sweetly as the plucked the little card from his hand, turning it over in her hands a few times. She wasn’t unfamiliar with the card- in fact she had one as well. But it felt more reassuring to Victoria that Ricardo was doing this in an attempt to lift her spirits. “Well, if you join me perhaps we can find something for your mom.” Ricardo quickly shook his head, pulling his backpack off his shoulders. He looked around a few times, but as it was still pretty early morning, there weren’t that many wondering eyes.

Unzipping it, he showed to Victoria that he had dozens, if not more, little baggies of a controversial little green plant. Victoria’s eyes widen and she launched her hand forward, clutching his backpack to close it. If she could scream she would, but it was already issue enough that they caused one scene this morning. So under her breath, she screamed through a whisper. “What the hell?? Are you crazy? Why do you have all this shit?” She wanted to slap sense into her mischievous friend, but had to resist the urge as it would definitely draw attention. Ricardo zipped up his bag, throwing it back over his shoulder. He seemed so unfazed and shrugged. “Hey, while I’m here I may as well make a few deliveries. Only regulars- no one else, Vicky. So keep your head on your neck. I’ve done this enough before and haven’t been caught yet. So if you’ll excuse me, I have business to take care of.. Don’t go crazy with my card!” Ricardo snapped at the end and strode away from Victoria, leaving her outside of the luxe shopping stores. Victoria crossed her arms, rather disapprovingly of Ricardo. It really wasn’t her business what he did, but at the same time she really didn’t like it. She simply shook her head, and turned towards the Chanel shop to do some browsing.

A few hours passed and Victoria’s right arm was filled with several shopping bags. Don’t go crazy? Pah! She was doing to get what she wanted as a spite back to Ricardo for bringing his contraband here. He was supposed to be spending time with her and cheering her up. Victoria let out an exasperated sigh. Ricardo had good intentions as her friend, but the two of them were also very selfish. It was a puzzle how they didn’t clash more than they did meld together. Just another guy walking away from her, it seemed. She felt a pinch of pain in her ego, thinking of Finn again. Of course she didn’t have feelings for Ricardo in such a way, but it was still bugging her that Finn had so easily turned her down. And she was beginning to realize the several pounds of clothes, shoes, and sunglasses on her arms weren’t going to cheer her up. Her eyes glanced back at the food court, where a small smoothie and milkshake stand stood. Eating her feelings was probably not the best coping mechanism- especially not for her figure. But a fruit smoothie couldn’t be too bad right now. She made her way to the stand, placing down her friend’s black card. “Banana Smoothie.” She spoke softly, her eyes scanning the scattered people sitting around the food court. She decided she should probably rest her feet for a bit, and enjoy her drink, as she prepared for trip number two around the mall.

Ricardo, on the other hand, stepped into the large music shop near the food court. The walls were lined with just about every instrument imaginable, from a metal, electric guitar, to a hand crafted wood violin. The speakers were playing something classical over it at the moment, which caused Ricardo to smile. That means his main customer was in the house. Sauntering his way to the counter, a very skinny and tall guy stood behind the counter. The store was empty of any customers, so the representative was leaning his back against the counter, eyes closed, and listening to the music play. It really wasn’t to Ricardo’s taste, who liked upbeat hip hop. But everyone has their preferences. “Delivery for Mozart.” The young man opened his eyes in response to the invader of his domain, standing up a bit straighter. The man’s eyes looked lax, but it was obvious he was just preparing himself for a pretentious ramble. “This is Beethoven, if you had- “ Ricardo just put his hand up shaking his head. “Look, I’m not here to have a debate over old man music with you. I’m just making rounds of my deliveries.” Ricardo pulled up his backpack. The young man’s eyes jumped around, as if making sure that there were no other customers. He pulled up his own backpack, pulling out his wallet. The exchange of goods and money was made, and Ricardo leaned on the counter, flicking through the bills he was handed. “How can you listen to this junk? It is practically ear splitting.” Ricardo groaned, feeling as if a head ache would come on. The young man shot Ricardo another glare before rolling his eyes.

“The emotions that resonate through classical music are truly lost on our generation. Perhaps you should blaze one up and listen to it again. The story the music tells without having to say anything… maybe you’ll understand then.” Ricardo rolled his eyes, a story with no words? Come on now. Real music hadn’t existed since the Sugar Hill Gang- at least according to the Ignacio family. And even then, old latino ballads were at least more exciting than this garbage. “Sure, I’ll get right on that…” Ricardo couldn’t roll his eyes harder without his head popping off his shoulders.

The pair's trip to the library took a lot longer than Finn had originally anticipated, as it usually did. Alice had a massive weakness for books, he knew, so it didn't surprise him that they could hardly get further than 3 feet before she picked up another novel to flick through on her way to and from the front desk which, annoyingly enough, was more of a back desk. They would manage a whole two steps before Alice would gasp, at times squeal excitedly, and pick up yet another one of her favourite books. It wouldn't shock Finn if she turned round and told him that she had read every single book in there, judging by the way she insisted that every one of them was her favorite.

"Ohh, Finn, look! A Tale of Two Cities! What do you think?" The worst part of it was that he wasn't even allowed to retreat into his own thoughts, being dragged out of them every thirty seconds as his companion demanded for his opinion on every piece of literature she picked up. It had been a solid two hours befor they finally left the library, Alice now carrying four more books in her backpack.

The mall was only a short walk from the library - practically across the road, in fact - so Finn and Alice left the car in the library's parking bay and left for their milkshake mission on foot. They walked with their usual chat, teasing each other about the events of the night before until they lapsed into a thoughtful silence. Upon a quick check of her phone earlier, Alice had discovered many videos of Finn dancing on the table plastered up on social media for the world to see, but thankfully saw nothing to do with her and Ricardo. No one cares. The voice in her head told her. He definitely doesn't. You were just another one of his conquests. And she had almost let herself be, which filled her with a great amount of unexpected anger. She would not be some prize! Next time she saw Ricardo Ignacio, she would let him know exactly what she thought of him and his antics.

Finn, upon noticing the apparent annoyance of his friend, nudged her gently as they entered through the air-conditioned doors into the mall, which was still pretty quiet considering it was still early, and offered her a grateful smile. "You know, if I ignore the splitting headache and the sun being way too bright, I think this is a pretty cool day out."

"Well, you're stuck with a full summer of them." Alice laughed, nudging Finn back as they neared their favorite milkshake and smoothie stand. "Just me, you and - Finn?" Finn had stopped a few steps back, wearing that same expression he always did when he wanted to be anywhere other than where he was now. Following his gaze, Alice's eyebrows rose in surprise. Sitting there, banana smoothie in hand, was Victoria Steel. Alone. Wearing Finn's jacket.

"How the hell has she got your jacket?! Did she steal it from you, Finn? She has no right! God, I'll go get it off of her now." Alice had just started to storm over when Finn grabbed her arm, pulling her back. Shit, he hasn't expected Victoria to be here. And why was she still wearing his jacket? Did she care that much? No. She couldn't. She was probably wearing it to make fun of him, to remind people of the mess he had been last night. "Alice, don't. It's fine. I gave it to her."

Alice opened her mouth to ask more, but, seeing the expression on Finn's face, she closed it again. They would talk about this later. For now, milkshakes were far more important. Tightening her ponytail, Alice plastered a smile on her face and walking up to the stand, acknowledging Victoria with a polite nod of the head before leaning over the counter and asking for the pair's usual: a strawberry milkshake for her, and a cookies 'n cream one for Finn.

As Alice paid for the milkshakes and watched them being made, trying her hardest not to let her eyes wander about their surroundings, searching for one person in particular, Finn took a deep breath and left his friend's side to approach the stunning blonde nearby. Running a hand over his Raven hair, he tried to meet her eyes while offering a half-hearted smile.

"Hey. Nice jacket." Pulling out the seat across from her and sitting down in it before he could think any better of it. He almost jumped out of his seat as a cookies 'n' cream milkshake was set down rather harshly in front of him by one glowering silver-haired girl. Alice supposed it wasn't her place to be angry, but she felt the irritation towards being disregarded, for Victoria, of all people, all the same. Mustering up all of the self-control she possessed, Alice turned to the blonde across from them.

"Hi, Victoria. I'd love to chat, but I need to go pick up something from the pharmacy." She hesitated for a moment, expecting Finn to offer to accompany her, but upon hearing nothing from her best friend, she turned and left with her strawberry milkshake in hand. Although her original plan had been to visit the pharmacy later, there was absolutely no way that she would be sitting at a table with Victoria Steel. It might have seemed petty of her, but she believed that it was far too early for that sort of awkwardness.

Meanwhile, Finn was taking a small sip of his milkshake without bothering to check if Alice was okay. He had put what he believed her interests were before his own already in the past 24 hours, and that had only ended in tears. "Are you here alone? I wouldn't have thought the infamous Victoria Steel went anywhere without her minions in tow."

A shiver ran up Victoria’s back for a second, even though she was wearing a jacket in summer. Someone must have been talking about her. Pulling her eyes away from her Instagram feed, he blue eyes met the paralleled blue eyes of Finn, who decided to take up the free real-estate across the table from her. Well, wasn’t this a surprise? She had never seen Finn out in public before, the only place she had ever seen him before was on campus. Well, and at Ricardo’s party the night before. Speaking of which, Victoria averted her eyes when he sat down. What the hell did he want? He made his standing on her pretty clear the night before. He mentioned the jacket and she seemed to shift slightly uncomfortable in her seat. Oh yeah, this was his. She had practically forgotten that she was wearing it. She shrugged. “Not necessarily my style. But they say the 90’s grunge scene is making a comeback.” She sipped on her banana smoothie, watching through sharp eyes at Alice’s behavior.

Alice. Damn. Victoria was better than starting a cat fight in the middle of the food court. But how dare she show her face around here. The mall was her territory. As was the school campus, the beach, the theatre. Why couldn’t Alice just disappear? It was obvious from her aggressive placing down of the milkshake that, to Victoria’s surprise, didn’t explode upon impact. Obviously, Alice was angry having to see Victoria, as was Victoria. But was Alice also angry towards Finn? At least, it seemed that way to Victoria. Had Finn told Alice about what happened the previous night? No way, Finn had nothing to talk about. Besides possibly bragging about being the first guy in a long time to break Victoria’s spirit.

Much to Victoria’s pleasure, Alice left just as quickly as she had arrived. After turning her back to Victoria to walk away, she pulled on a fake smile, and wiggled her fingers as a goodbye. Victoria’s mood seemed to brighten the minute Alice was out of her presence. But what surprised Victoria the most was the fact that Finn hadn’t followed behind her like the lost puppy he usually was. He continued to sit there, chowing down on his own milkshake. He mentioned her minions not being at her side, and she just chuckled, holding the straw in her hand and spinning it around her cup a few times. “I’m a good boss. I give them the day off when I don’t need them. Besides, everyone needs a little me time.” Victoria closed her eyes, taking another sip of her banana shake. Although, Victoria would have been enjoying herself significantly more if Ricardo had been with her. Being alone was too depressing. But even the Queen of Drama needed a break from everyone and everything.

She opened her eyes again, observing the messy hair and outfit of Finn. He really needed a change in wardrobe. “Alice is about to leave you in the dust. Don’t you think you should be hurrying along after your girlfriend?” Victoria asked. Though she spoke sweetly and smoothly, the word girlfriend stung Victoria’s tongue. It was almost like toxins rolling off her tongue rather than honey. It was difficult for Victoria to hide her jealousy. Jealousy? No, that couldn’t be the right word. Victoria, jealous of Alice? As if… But for Finn to reject Victoria as he had the previous night… being taken, or at least infatuated by Alice, was the only logical answer she accepted. Victoria’s hand reached up to one of the hoodie strings, rolling it over in her fingers. She crossed one of her legs, leaning in closer to Finn, her blue eyes continuing to rake over Finn, no differently than they had the night before.

“Well, I have a few more rounds, Augustus. I’ll see you next week… Or tomorrow if you go through your new stash as quickly as you have been lately.” Ricardo grinned cheekily, throwing his backpack back on his shoulders and saluting towards the weird, virtuosic boy “You gotta try it soon, Ricky! Weed and music, the best combination.” In one ear, out the other. Augustus wasn’t wrong. Ricardo had listened to enough music in the past while under the influence to know what it was like to have one’s spirit taken away by the music. But that wasn’t of his concern. Right now, his focus was on work. Or at least it was, until he stepped out of the music shop. As per usual, Ricardo stepped out into the main walkway of the mall, not paying much attention to his surroundings. Why should he? Most people tended to stay out of the way of the tall, menacing, Latino boy. He wasn’t menacing though, people just perceived him as such. However, this time Ricardo walked right into a bystander.

Ricardo could feel himself knocking over someone. And usually Ricardo wouldn’t bat an eye. It was their fault for not keeping an eye out on their surroundings. However, this wasn’t a normal bystander. Now sitting on the ground, was the one and only silver haired beauty from the night before. Ricardo’s scowl shifted to a delighted, playful grin as he stuck his hand down to help up the fallen Alice. “Oh my, belleza. You aren’t following me around now, are you?” He grinned teasingly, his eyes looking over her figure again. Her outfit was significantly different from what she had warn the night before. Why couldn’t she always be wearing a cute dress, or perhaps a skirt. She had nice legs to show off, even with that stupid scar.