I could ramble about a thousand reasons why I didn't need a beer that day, but honestly, my next block was AP Physics, a class I wasn't doing all too well in. I needed to be able to focus. Put bluntly, I can't hold down a beer for my life. I learned that the hard way. Drinking away your problems isn't as easy as it's shown in the movies. I guess you could say the alcohol was effective in that my biggest concerns that night were trying to tie back my hair so I didn't get vomit in it.

I shake my head at Jake's offer, throwing my head back and giggling when he offered to do my makeup. There was no way in hell I'd let someone get that close to my face with one of those lethal eyelash rods or whatever, especially Jake. Of course I love the guy, but I'm pretty sure he can show off eyeliner better than I can.

Nobody in the gang really seems like the type to go to the dance, except for Ray, of course, and maybe Alena. Jake would probably rather be spray painting pentagrams on the back wall of the library. I can't imagine him in a tux, or suit, or whatever it was that guys wore to dances. Maybe some kind of antebellum, vampiric suit with one of those cliché, frilly collars at the neck? Izzy was just about as likely to wear a dress as I was. I can just imagine us stumbling around the cafeteria in those death traps pretty girls call high heels.

Alena and Ray might go. I'm sure Alena's jock friends will be pulling out the Trojans in their parents' limousines, but Alena had just broken up with her girlfriend, or maybe vice versa. I'm not exactly up to date on the social hubbub of Elton High. Yeah, I did say girlfriend. It was surprising enough that Alena was a fellow female as well as a state-ranked sports star. I guess she's not unlike her friends on the football team in that they're both hooking up with the cheerleaders. Okay, so that was a little mean, but Alena gets my sense of humor after all this time with the Cliqueless. Probably.

As the school's unofficial poster boy, Ray had to go to the dance. I can only imagine how many hours of sleep he's lost over the whole thing, as well as whatever other crazy school spirit activities he'd been forced to take on. I feel bad for the guy. At least the only thing I have to worry about is how good of a deal I can get on the Ghost Edition of the Black Rose Dragon trading card. He's swamped with the Student Council hounds, swimming, and, uh, whatever else it is that he does. Like a classic Asian, of course he plays the violin-- or is it piano? He's the opposite of a fob, though. Ray's got himself fully assimilated in the American culture, obviously enough.

I grinned at Alena's offer. That'd get a kick out of the Elton populace. The... whatever, female team captain going to the dance with a [I]girl[/I]? Not just any girl, but that dorky freak? Alena was straightforward about her sexuality, but it wasn't exactly widely known yet. "You know guys, maybe it'd be a cool thing for us to go to the dance. It could be our big event: all of us in one conglomeration, together in public. I can already imagine the looks on their faces!" I mused thoughtfully, scenes of the dance already spinning in my head like a silent film. "Think about it. The Cliqueless finally make their point, take their stand, fulfill the dream that lies behind these backstage shenanigans--" I jump up onto the power box dramatically, pointing towards the sky meaninglessly. "To defeating the status quo!" I stare into the distance like they do in the movies, imagining a majestic theme playing in the backdrop, and then burst into a fit of chuckles.

It's only after my little monologue that I notice the red head standing at the rooftop entrance. "All right, who the hell spilled our location?" I exclaimed, sending a bewildered look towards the newcomer. Isn't it obvious that she'll ruin us? Clearly, the others didn't understand the severity of the situation. What happened to us was up to this newcomer, and I don't like my fate being held in the hands of anybody but myself. I frantically turned back to my four friends- if I could even call them that- admittedly relishing in the drama of the situation, drama that I was probably creating. The situation became worse in my eyes when I realized I didn't recognize her rather confused face.

"Guys, she's obviously a new kid! She doesn't understand how the system works. She might spill our location, or something worse, to whoever she manages to fit in with. It's about time for the fighting to start, though it seems pretty clear to me that she's a Gothie." I snuck another glance at her petite frame, obviously unequipped for the competitive sports at Elton. Maybe she was a Popular? She definitely wasn't as drastically punk as Jake, but the nose piercing might grant her access to his clique. Then again, this girl did have a nice sense of humor.

Izzy's redhead comment broke my train of thought; I couldn't help but crack a smirk. "Everybody knows how gingers are," I teased, forgetting about the girl for a moment.