I don't know what's so appealing about parties. Ninety percent of the time everybody doesn't even remember it anyway due to the number of drinks they had.

Zack tells me not to be late yet he's still not here. I sit by the fire taking a sip of my water bottle. Zack really wasn't kidding when he said there would be a ton of people here.

I've only been here fifteen minutes and I've already got into fights with six different girls because their boyfriends came over and started talking to me, I've given twelve guys black eyes, I've given two more a broken wrist, and one had to be taken out of here in an ambulance. All I had to do for the last one was flash my badge to the police and they just dropped it. Cody however, didn't.

"You can't just go around putting knives in people." He scolds me as he sits down next to me, the ambulance leaves along with the police, I shrug.

"It's better than a bullet." I retort. "Besides he was getting too touchy."

"He put his hand on your knee." He gives me a deadpan look.

"Now he can't put his hand on anyone's knee." I hide my smirk from Cody. He groans.

"I for one am all for it." Devin states. "In fact, there were a couple of guys getting on my nerves over there, can I call them over so I can introduce you guys? This way if one touches you, you can just stab him." I roll my eyes at him.

Cody scowls. "Don't encourage her."

I feel someone sit down next to me, pressing themselves right up against me and throwing their arm over my shoulder. My knife is my hand in a split second. I stop and hide it when I hear his familiar voice.

"Wow, you looked about ready to kill me." He teases.

"Don't be late." I mock him. He holds his hands up in surrender.

"In my defense, I got held up by a blockade of police and an ambulance. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" He smirks at me, and I roll my eyes.

"Someone cut his hand," I say schooling my face into a look that clearly says I'm faking innocence. He laughs.

"Who's this?" He asks, gesturing to a rigid Cody.

"Don't know," I reply, pretending I don't know him. "He never gave me his name." I shrug.

"Well, then I'm sure he won't mind finding a different seat." His voice turns deadly calm at the end of his sentence. Clearly giving Cody a message to leave. Cody glare back at him.

"Nah. I think I'm good." He challenges Zack. Devin stands awkwardly behind us. I look at him, shooting him a look that clearly says, do something. He nods at me.

He claps a hand on Cody's shoulder. "Hey man, why don't we go get another drink?" I see his grip on Cody's shoulder tighten in a silent warning, I glare at Cody.

"Yeah fine." He mutters and stands, following behind Devin.

"Look what happens when I leave you alone." He tsks. "You attract the company of weirdos."

"Oh yes," I say sarcastically. "Without you I'd be so unbelievably lost."

He grins at me. "I know." I roll my eyes at him. "You need a drink?"

"No," I state.

"Oh come on loosen up."

"I'm not drinking."

He shrugs, "That's the whole fun of it." I raise an eyebrow at him.

"To get so drunk you don't remember anything, and wake up in the hospital because someone got so pissed off at you that they pushed you into the fire."

"That kind of stuff only happens in movies." He scowls at me. "Come on, let's walk around the lake." He gets up from his seat and holds his hand out for me to take it. I narrow my eyes at it.

"Just a walk?"

"Yes," his eyes sparkle. "Unless you want it to mean something." I stare at him a little while longer before placing my hand in his.

He leads me away from the party. We walk in silence for a while before I break it.

"So what kinds of things are you into?" I ask.

He shrugs. "Not much really, I mean I use to box, but I don't really do that anymore."

"Why not?"

"I guess it was because that was what my father expected of me." He grumbles disdainfully.

"You're not on good terms with your father?" I ask, genuinely surprised.

"That's putting it nicely." He answers bitterly. "Me and my father have never gotten along, he's just too use to getting his way."

"I know what that's like," I answer honestly.

"Daddy issues too huh?" he teases lightly.

"Yeah well, no family is perfect," I reply. "So I take it you were the rebellious child," I say, trying to change the subject.

"What's this were? I am the rebellious child." I smile and shake my head at his reply.

"I don't doubt it."

He smiles back at me, I turn around and start walking backward in front of him as we continue talking.

I watch from a safe distance as she talks with him, smiling at things he says and I feel jealously swell up inside me.

We have known her longer than he has yet she's all smiles for him. We're lucky if we don't get glares.

I watch her trip and lose her balance, his arm shoots out and grabs her around the waist, keeping her from falling. She doesn't look comfortable, but she doesn't pull away either. I turn away and head back towards the bonfire.

"Man you look pissed." I glare at Devin who just smiles at me and runs over towards Chase. I go head over to Jason.

"Relax." He mutters into his drink, as he lifts the beer bottle to his lips.

"I am perfectly relaxed." I retort hotly. He raises an eyebrow at me but says nothing. He hands me a beer, which I gratefully except...until he opens his mouth.

"She's only acting. Relax, you may still have a chance."

I choke and spit the drink out. "How'd you find out."

"I'm the quiet drug-free version of Devin." He answers as he takes another drink. "That and when Devin learns something new he can't keep his mouth shut." I sigh.

"It's just infuriating cause I can't seem to figure her out. I take one step forward she takes a giant leap back."

"I could talk to her for you."

"No."

"I'm not that bad."

"That's debatable." I retort. He raises an eyebrow at me.

"Look at it this way." he starts. "It's either I talk to her, or...Devin opens his mouth to her first." I groan.

"Anyone but Devin," I reply. I watch as she walks back up to the bonfire with Zack and they sit down, side by side.

"Then let me talk to her."

"Fine." I sigh, totally resigned. "But don't just flat out ask her.

"Don't worry about it," he says. "I know how to be subtle." he puts his beer on the floor, shoving his hands in his pockets and heads towards Thirteen. Zack leaves to get drinks just as Jason starts over there.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" I hear him ask her. She brings her eyes up to meet his.

"No." she answers blankly and takes a drink from her water bottle, just as he says something else that gets drowned out by the starting song.

I sigh and make my way towards Chase and Devin.

"Still pissed?" I glare at him, and he smiles mischievously. "If you want I can "spill" something alcoholic on him and "bump" him into the fire," he suggests innocently.

"Devin." Chase chides.

"What? I'm only giving out helpful suggestions."

"I might take you up on that later," I reply to him, a smirk on my face.

"Cody." Chase's tone holds warning. I hold my hands up in surrender.

"Kidding... Sort of."

"Well I'm not." Devin states. "That guy gives me the creeps."

"Why?" Chase questions and Devin shrugs.

"Just something about him seems off."

"Of course it does, he's a Martin they're all backstabbing traitors." I groan as I turn towards him.

"Why are you here?" I ask.

"It's a public lake, I'm allowed to be here." Hayden retorts. He jerks his head towards Thirteen. "You better keep an eye on her."

"Why? She can handle herself."

"Because if he's playing her, she won't realize till she's in too deep."

"She's playing him," I tell him firmly. He raises an eyebrow.

"Then you shouldn't have anything to worry about." He says. "But if it's the other way around, you better be ready with your guns." He walks away.

"He bugs me too," Devin states as he watches Hayden walk away.

"Everyone bugs you in some way or another," Jason says as he walks up to us, he turns to me. "She's stubborn."

"That's all you got out of your conversation?" I ask, "I could've told you that."

"Anyone could've told you that," Chase mutters. There's shouting behind us, I see everyone gathering around where Thirteen was sitting.

"Crap," Chase mutters.

"She started another fight?" Devin asks. We all start heading towards the mass of people.

"No, if it was her it'd be over already."

I shove my way through everyone shouting and look at the two people fighting on the floor. Of course, Thirteen also happens to be standing in the middle of all of it. Her arms crossed over her chest in irritation as she stares at Zack and some other random guy go at each other. I make my way towards her.

"Are you going to stop this?" I ask. She glances at me.

"Am I supposed to?" She asks. I sigh and take a step towards them, prepared to break them apart. She places her hand on my shoulder pulling me back.

"I'll take care of it." She mutters, almost sounding disappointed. She shrugs off the jean jacket she was wearing and tosses it to me. She moves towards them.

Zack's on the floor and the other guy gets up quickly and kicks him. Thirteen walks up behind him and taps him on his shoulder before taking a couple steps back. He turns around towards her and she swings her leg out. Only instead of kicking his legs, she gets him right in the head. Everyone goes dead silent.

"That's how you freaking kick."She announces. She turns towards Zack.

"And I'm not a damn toy you can fight over and 'claim' whenever the hell you please." She says before grabbing her jacket from my hand and walking off to who knows where.

"I don't think your talk with her went very well," I say to Jason as he makes his way over to me.

"Well when I said she was stubborn, I also meant rude, and volatile," he replies. "He nods in her direction. "Where's she-"

"I don't know." I cut him off as I head off in her direction.

"Just don't rile her up even more." He calls after me.

"Trust me, I don't plan on it," I mutter. But somehow I know I'll end up doing it.