"Hey, bro, great party!" Some drunken guy said loudly a little too close to my ear. The party was in full swing, and I was feeling more comfortable about it than I was before it started.

"Thanks," I replied, over the noise in the kitchen. People piled around the table grabbing drinks. I had a few beer earlier but I stopped and grabbed a Red Bull instead. I didn't drink it for the taste anymore, or the energy, I just drunk it out of habit. Getting tired of the drunken slobs in the kitchen, I decided to go into the living room with the other drunken slobs.

I went into the living room, and I was immediately bombarded with people trying to talk to me.

"Hi, Nick," Sydney bounced up to me, a smile plastered on her pretty face. Don't get me wrong, Sydney was gorgeous. Nice body, long brown hair, but there's no substance there. We'd hooked up a few times since Crystal and I broke up, and it was a good time, but that's all it was, a good time.

"Hey, Sydney," I replied. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing," she smiled, running her hands up my chest seductively. "Just hanging out. But maybe you could keep me company."

No thank you. "Uh, maybe."

From across the room, I spotted Crystal talking with some of the girls from the cheerleading squad. This is the first time I'd seen her since she broke up with me at the beginning of the summer. Her hair was little shorter, and she had a tan, but other than that she looked the same.

As if she sensed me looking at her, she turned in my direction. I waved awkwardly at her, it would be rude of me to ignore her.

She smiled waving back.

"I didn't know Crystal was back," Sydney said next to me. I had forgotten she was there.

"Are you two getting back together?"

"Nope," I answered shortly, before taking a swig of Red Bull. I didn't even taste it anymore, and it gave me no energy, but I drunk it anyway. Looking at everyone, dancing and talking in my living room, and I just didn't want to see them there. I didn't want to be around them, and I don't even know who half of them are.

"Hey, Sydney, can we talk later. I have to do something." Sad, I know, I couldn't even come up with an excuse to get out of my own party.

"Oh, okay," she responded. She placed her well-manicured hand on my arm, batting her fake lashes at me, "Maybe we can find somewhere more private next time."

Doubt it. "Yeah...sure."

I escaped Sydney's grasp, and tried to make my way upstairs without getting caught by anyone else. Luckily, the people that were around the stairs were too focused on finding someone to hook up with to pay me any attention. I made it to my room without much trouble, I just hoped no one was hooking up in there. It wouldn't be the first time.

Opening my bedroom door, I found that it wasn't empty like I hoped.

No one was having sex, thankfully, but Maya sat on my couch looking at something on her phone.

I don't know why but everytime I'm around her my tongue gets tied. Maybe it's her cool hair cut, or her intense brown eyes. She was hot, no doubt about that, but I've been around alot of hot girls, and none of them make me feel the way she does.

"Hey," I managed to choke out, once I was remembered how to speak again.

She set her phone to the side, "Hey."

Speak, Nick, speak. Move your lips to form words.

"Were you not enjoying the party?"

"Not really," she replied, "No offense, or anything." And if it had been any other party or anyone else maybe I would have been offended, but I couldn't find it in myself to be.

I sighed, "Me either." The slightly metallic carbonated taste filled my mouth as I drank from my fastly emptying Red Bull can.

"You know if you drink enough of those you could have a heart attack," said Maya, as she watched me drink it.

I hummed looking at the silver,red, and blue can. "Hmm, that's too bad. Where will I get my energy from then?"

She shrugged, "I guess you'll have to drink coffee like the rest of the world."

Disgusted, I frowned, "But coffee tastes terrible."

"Coffee is one of God's greatest gifts,"she said, taking up for that bean flavored water. "And it tastes better than that gasoline in a can that you're drinking."

I couldn't help but laugh, because it does resemble gasoline in a can. "I don't think so."

She said, "I guess we'll have to agree to disagree."

"Just make sure to call the ambulance if I have a heart attack," I said jokingly. God forbid, I have a heart attack before I can even start my senior year of high school.

"Will do," she agreed. "Do you want me to let everyone know first or do you want me to wait until the ambulance comes?"

"Wait until the ambulance comes," I shrugged. "What type of host would I be if I didn't make a dramatic exit." And that would give them less time to record it on their phones.

"The kind that vanishes upstairs to escape his guests."

She already knows me so well. "You're right, but it wasn't just the guests it was other things."

"Anything you want to tell a complete stranger about?" she asked.

I looked at her pretty brown face. Should I talk to her about my weird lack of feelings towards my ex-girlfriend?

Probably not.

But for some reason I felt comfortable enough to do it anyway.

"My ex-girlfriend is here."

"And you hate her," she guessed.

"No. I don't hate her, and she doesn't hate me either." Crystal is too nice for anyone to hate her.

"That's too bad." Maya said sarcastically.

She apologized catching herself, "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that."

"It's okay," I laughed.

She went on with her questions. "If you don't hate each other what's the big deal about her being here?"

"Nothing, I guess. It's just awkward," I explained, but I was completely sure the answer. "We were together for a long time."

"Why'd you break up?"

I hesitated searching for the right answer. Crystal's reasoning was so vague, it didn't even seem real.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"She broke up with me," I admitted.

Maya looked at me skeptically, "What did you do?"

"Why did I have to do something? Why couldn't she have just wanted to break up with me?" That's exactly what Sam had asked me. And Marcus. And Lavender too. I hadn't done anything wrong.

"Okay," she said, "Why did she break up with you?"

Shrugging, I said, "She just didn't want to be with me anymore. She said she just didn't feel 'it' anymore."

"I'm...sorry," she replied hesitantly.

"Don't be," I told her. "I'm glad she had the balls to do what I couldn't. I hadn't felt 'it' in a long time either. I should have broken up with her a long time ago."

I could tell our relationship was going down hill, we weren't talking as much anymore, and most of our time together we spent hooking up. Crystal's gorgeous, and any guy with half a brain would love to spend his time hooking up with her, but it gets boring after awhile.

"Why didn't you?"

I guess I figured that we would make it until graduation, and we would drift apart after that. But before I could say any of that it seemed like everyone took the time to come into my room.

"Hey, there you are," Sam said coming into my room. "We were looking for you." And when he said we, he meant all of our inner circle. Lavender, Marcus, Nia, and Tasha, who's lipstick was smeared and a fresh hickey poked from the collar of her shirt. Looks like someone had a goodnight.

"I knew you were hiding," Tasha said to Maya, as she sat next to her.

Maya replied, "What was I supposed to do? You left me all by myself."

She fixed her lipstick and fluffed her hair in her small handheld mirror. "You were supposed to socialize. Maybe meet some new people."

"Meeting new people is overrated," Maya stated.

I chuckled at her blatant aversion to others. Most people would try to hide it, I've spent most of my life seeing people slap on a fake smile and talk to people they hate, but she doesn't.

Tasha sighed deeply. "Oh, Maya, what am I going to do with you?"

"Kill me," she deadpanned.

She looked down at the time on her cell phone. "I should get going." What? No, I don't want her to leave. It's still so early.

Voicing my thoughts, Sam said, "But you just got here?" .

"I, we, have a long day of moving tomorrow," she explained, causing frowns to come across the girls faces.

Tasha groaned, "Don't remind me. I'm happy that you've got your own place and everything, but I'm not looking forward to building your furniture tomorrow."

"You got an apartment?" I asked.

"Yep, just got the keys today," she smiled.

"That's great, Maya," Marcus said from the other side of the couch.

"That's so cool," said Sam. It's very cool, I mean you could say that I have a whole house to myself, but it's not mine. It's my dad's. I don't know too many people that are high school seniors with their own apartment. Now college kids, I know plenty, some that don't even deserve it.

"You know what would be a great idea. If you guys came and helped us," Nia suggested from Marcus' lap. Those two are inseparable, and I have to say I'm happy for them. God only knows how happy I am, that he's not with that psycho, Whitney, anymore. I'm glad that nightmare is over. I heard that she's moved to some boarding school in Paris, good now she can terrorize the french and leave us alone.

"You don't have to do that," Maya interjected quickly.

"Why not? It's not like you're doing anything tomorrow?" Nia said to Marcus, and once she talked to him it was a done deal. He's completely whipped. If she says jump, he'll as how high.

"It's okay Maya, I can come," he said. Predictable.

Wait, I want to come. "I can come too. Sam?" I asked expectantly.

"Oh, yeah, I can come too," he replied, completely focused on his game of Super Mario. Lavender sat next to him watching him play.

"Thank God. I just got my nails done, and I can't afford to break one before the first day of school. I've coordinated my outfit to fit perfectly," Tasha said, reminding me of Crystal.

Maya rolled her eyes. "I hope that your nails don't get in the way of your decorating skills."

"Oh, never. You know I have the Midas touch," she replied.

"You know that story didn't end well, right?"

Tasha sighed, brushing her off, "You know what I meant."

"So what time should be there tomorrow?" I asked.

"Ten a.m. should be fine." Good, that's not too early.

"Sounds like a plan," I said to her. "Where is your apartment?"

"Glendale." Nice, it's very....safe.

"Nice. We were there earlier today. I had to sell a car." And it seems like there's always someone looking to sell their old cars, but I'm always looking to buy.

"Do you sell cars often?" she asked me.

I wouldn't say often. "Uh, no I just started doing some work on some and reselling them." I just sold the mustang today, but I'm ready to jump into my next project whatever that is.

"Nice,"

"So will there be food tomorrow, or are you planning on starving us?" Lavender asked her.

"If you do a good job I might buy you a pizza," Maya replied. "But seriously we should get going anyway."

Tasha groaned, complaining like a child, "Come on, mom, you never let us have any fun."

"You look like you've had more than enough fun to me," Maya said looking at the hickey on her chest.

Uncomfortable, Tasha pulled her shirt to her chest, but it was too late because I, and everyone else with semi-functional eyes, had seen it. "Just let me go to the bathroom first."

"I'll meet you by the car." Maya said to her before she disappeared into my bathroom.

"So should I bring anything tomorrow?" I've never had to help anyone move before, I don't know what the etiquette for that is.

"Uh, tools I guess," she said unsure, "And try not to drink too many Red Bulls, I don't want you to have a heart attack."

I smiled at her, she's so caring. "I'll just have to drink coffee then."

"I think that's a great idea." She slipped her phone in her pocket, and stood from the couch. "And maybe drink some water too, it's supposed to be hot tomorrow."

"I'll remember that," I laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow." .

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

She helped Lavender up off the floor, before they linked arms and walked downstairs. Marcus offered to walk Nia down to Maya's car, like she would get lost or something. Tasha came out of the bathroom with her hickey completely covered and her lipstick perfect again. She pulled her shorts that accentuated her long legs. Something about her reminded me of Crystal, I'm sure if she went to East Chapel they would be good friends.

"Bye, guys, see you tomorrow," she waved before running out the door.

"Wow," Sam sighed. "She's so pretty."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm glad you could finally pry your eyes away from that screen long enough to notice."

"I notice everything, I'm good at multitasking," he said moving to sit next to me on the couch. "Like I noticed you being able to spit out more than two words to Maya. Congratulations by the way."

"Thanks," I said sarcastically. But I was proud of myself for not making myself look stupid in front of her.

"So since you and Crystal are done do you think you're going to ask her out?" he asked.

"I don't know, Sam, I think I might try to stay single for awhile."

"Does being single include hooking up with Sydney Sinclair?"

"If I want to," I said, defiantly.

He sighed, "Okay, but I think you're making a mistake."

"And I think you're being annoying," I replied. He hit me with a pillow that laid on the couch. I pushed him back, "Are you staying here tonight or what?"

"Of course, I can't go home smelling like alcohol my parents will kill me, but not before they give me a lecture about how I represent them and blah, blah, blah," he mocked them. "I would rather extend my lecture free weekend for as long as I can, please. I'll have to borrow some clothes for tomorrow."

"Oh, me too," Marcus said coming back in. "I didn't bring anything."

"Whatever." They both lived a street away in each direction, they could easily go get their own clothes, but I have plenty so I didn't care.

"How much stuff do you think she has?" asked Marcus collapsing onto the couch.

"I don't know," I hadn't thought about it, but between the seven of us I'm sure we can handle it.

Sam admitted, "I'm just going for the pizza."

"You have to do work before you get pizza," I told him.

"What?" he asked a dumb look appearing on his face. "No one said anything about that."

"That's exactly what she said." Marcus and I laughed. So much for being a great multi-tasker.

"Dammit," he sighed.