Author's Note:

When wolfgirl2001 posted her alternate ending fic for episode 2 (titled '…and Brassieres', go check it out!), the idea to write a companion piece quickly popped into my mind as I read it. I contacted her to see if she was okay with the idea and, well, here we are! These two tales are not going to be heavily intertwined (we will try here and there, and the stories will be consistent with one another if nothing else), but they are going to be covering the same universe, the same night, the same party. While her story will focus on Lindsay and Daniel, I will center in on Kim, her reaction to the changes wolfgirl's story will bring and I'll introduce a new character who can maybe help her through the ride. This will be my first time working with another fanfiction writer and I'm really looking forward to it!


Chapter 1 (Kim/Luke POV)

"It's like a running gag or something, man. I swear we have the worst luck against you guys."

Kim Kelly heard the new voice coming closer and closer to her with each word, but she didn't really care enough to look at who was speaking. It was the same person who had loudly, eagerly called Nick out by name, the same person who Nick had, just minutes ago, introduced to an equally uninterested sounding Ken and it was the same person who was undoubtedly going to be introduced to her in just a few seconds. Again though, she didn't care. She thought this party was lame, she hated most of the people here (at least a little bit) and the beer completely sucked ass. Still, Kim was vaguely aware of all that was happening around her as she sat on the Weir family couch and scorned the room in front of her with an angry and expectant gaze. Daniel was here, she knew that, and now it was simply a waiting game to see if she could spot him and whatever little slut he was parading around in her place. Their breakup wasn't nasty, it wasn't drawn out and it wasn't even all that loud, but it was the final time they would be dumping one another... or at least that is what Kim kept telling herself. Then again, she had told herself that exact same lie every single time the two broke up over the last year and it only took a matter of days for the words to become a distant afterthought as Daniel's tongue worked his way into her mouth.

Not this time, she hissed inside her own head. Not this-

"Hey, Kim," Nick's neighborly tone greeted her ears and irritation instant spread to every fiber of her core.

"What?" she snapped in a demanding pitch that fell just short of a yell. She didn't have the patience to meet some new dumb friend of his and a part of her wanted to make that point quite clear in her response. When she rolled her eyes towards the two a moment later though, a small feeling of contrition pinged in her head as the sight of Nick's new buddy. He was at least six-feet tall, maybe a little more, had a slight build to his body and short, wavy dark brown hair that she was sure would fall over his eyes if he didn't have it combed back the way he did. It was his eyes that really caught her attention though. They were a light-blue, almost the same color of a clear sea that Kim had seen on the cover of so many magazines, and just getting locked into them for even a second felt the slightest bit memorizing to her. There was something deep about them, like they could read every word and thought she was keeping locked up in her head and their owner was attempting to analyze it all. Of course, he didn't really look like he was trying to figure anything out... she thought he looked more astounded than anything. But, even with the dumbfounded look on his face, the appeal of his features were clearly shining through to her and each lineament was still complimenting each other.

A thought ran through her head as a still silence seemed to envelope the three. A thought that set her in the opposite direction of her 'no more Desario' stand from mere moments ago. This guy is perfect... perfect for making Daniel jealous! Except I might've just screwed it all up...

Kim was, to say the least, extremely discombobulated when it came to the issue of her relationship with Daniel. There were times when she loved it and times when she hated it, times when she thought it would kill her and times where she thought she would die without it. Until something truly big happened either way though, she knew that they would be locked in this eternal loop of breakup/makeup and they wouldn't be able to move forward... as a couple or individuals. That concern (and the underlying fear that it brought) would have to wait for another day to shine in the spotlight though, because, just like that, Kim was totally set on getting back together with her ex. The problem was that nothing had really worked out up to this point. Not the continued bickering that sometimes led up to a hot and steamy makeup session, not the innuendos of finding a hot date for the weekend... hell, not even teasing Jimmy into making advances towards her had seemed to light a fire under Daniel's ass. With each failure she had considered truly calling it quits, but this, she was sure, would work. Even if she had to go a little far and get handsy with this stranger within eyesight of Daniel, this would have to work.

Nick's face shifted and he took a step back, visually quite aware that Kim was in one of her moods and the need for distance was imminent. "We, uh- I mean, I wanted to... nevermind."

"No, hey!" Kim called out quickly, trying to stop their retreat and releasing a quick, awkward laugh to accompany her painfully fake smile. "What's, um, what's up?"

Nick still looked apprehensive for a moment, and his friend just seemed like he didn't know what he should do, but a goofy smile soon returned to Andopolis and he quickly resumed with his introduction. "So, this is Luke. Luke, this is Kim. Luke and me used to play basketball back when I was... well, you know."

A warm, albeit small, smile flashed across the newcomer's face and he nodded to her slightly. "Nice to meet ya."

Oh great. Another former jock. What a surprise. Kim couldn't help but let the peeving dig cross her mind. For the most part she absolutely hated jocks, current and former, and Nick was a rare exception. But, at the same time, the thought that Luke had the earmarks of a cute smile to go along with his looks crossed her mind and made her instantly wonder how striking a full smile would be. The speculation was pushed away when Nick inadvertently brought up a sore subject.

"Hey, do you know where Daniel is? Or Lindsay? I kinda wanted to have Luke meet the whole gang."

Kim scoffed and performed another notorious eye-roll before commenting. "Daniel could have drank himself into a coma for all I care anymore, and that brain isn't one of us, so don't even bother with her."

"Hey!" Nick's tone went up slightly, gaining a bit of defensiveness to it. "Come on, she is our friend, Kim. I don't know what your problem is with her but, like, ya know, she's cool, so why can't you be?"

"I am cool, Andopolis! We just don't need some lame-ass poser trying to hang with us." Kim caught sight of Luke's eyes darting around the room as he took a big gulp from his plastic cup. Things were becoming uncomfortable and he was desperately looking for an out, but Kim couldn't just let this slip by.

"Here, sit down." She smacked the portion of sofa next to her. "I''m sure one of those two losers will came around here sooner or later." She crossed her arms over her chest and began scowling at the room of drunk teenagers in front of her again. Nick plopped down right next to her and Luke beside him.

"So, you guys were both basketball players? What happened with you, Luke? You don't look familiar at all. Drop out or somethin'?" Kim questioned, wanting to avoid giving the floor to Nick (because she was sure he would just talk about something stupid).

There was a small chuckle from next to her and she had to suppress the urge to just jab Nick in the side with her elbow.

"Not exactly," Luke replied and Kim gave him a quick glance, long enough to catch the hint of a smile she heard on his voice. "I, uh, I never played basketball. It's for the best anyway. I probably just woulda ended up being a benchwarmer since I can't hit the broad side of a barn, let alone a hoop. No, Nick and I met cause we were both buying pot from the same guy. I recognized him as the player who scored the winning basket against Lincoln, knocking us out of the first-round finals. It's funny; we were talking about this just a few seconds before we came over here and I mentioned that you guys always seem to beat us... it's like some bad joke or something."

His last sentence was completely lost on her as she processed the last bit of information he had shared before that. So, not a jock, her voice lulled in her own head, slightly disappointed in the news. That kinda sucks. Daniel would've blown a gasket over that, but...

"You're from Lincoln High?"

He simply nodded in answer.

Her jaw dropped a little at his confirmation. "That's ballsy- a Lincoln student showing up to a Chippewa High-filled party. You're either pretty brave or pretty stupid."

"Probably a little of both, but definitely more one than that other. Which one do you think has the bigger portion?"

The two were looking at each other as they talked, both leaned forward on the couch slightly so they could see one another while Nick sat in-between them.

The behemoth in the middle loudly cleared his throat and butted in, "Anyway..." There was a pause after he spoke, as if he was gauging the situation and trying to figure out if Kim and Luke were getting ready to argue or flirt with one another. To be fair, neither of them knew the answer to that concern either.

"We've kinda hung out every now and then since that day. Smokin' pot, listening to music. We even play hoops sometimes at the park. It's nice because he really sucks and I always win." A smile spread across Nick's face as Luke's mouth formed a half-smile, half-bewildered guise.

"Ohhhhohoho. You better shut up, Nick," the fellow pothead jokingly warned through a laugh, lightly pushing his friend's head to the side for good measure.

Even though she wouldn't have even been able to stand it a few minutes ago, Kim found herself cracking a smile at the antics she was currently involved in. She wasn't worried about spotting Daniel or scheming to get back with him and make it look like his idea, she wasn't concerned that Nick may or may not have a small crush on Lindsay and be fighting for her place in the group, she was just letting herself have a little fun... which she didn't think would happen at this party at all.

The sound of someone beginning to play a few keys on the piano suddenly stole her attention and she released a laugh when taking note of the pianist at helm.

"Ohhh..." she managed through her laughter while Millie Kentner continued to find her rhythm on the eighty-eights. "Oh no. That's that chick from the assembly, man." A few more giggles escaped her and, while Luke looked confused, Nick picked up on what she was talking about.

Millie suddenly began belting out lyrics with the tune she was creating and when she did, the song she was going for became crystal clear. "Jesus is just alright with me! Jesus is just alright, oh yeah!"

"Oh my God, she sounds horrible!" Kim exclaimed, not at all embarrassed that a snort of laughter made its way out with her words.

"No, no, that's pretty good," Nick disagreed and clumsily stood, looking as if he was wobbly enough to just fall back in his seat.

Luke threw his arms up to catch him if that were the case, but the ex-basketball star kept his balance and took a sloshy step forward, then another and another before his movement gained more regularity to it. Nick made it to Millie by the time she finished the second set of verses and began bopping to the tune of the song, making motions to other partygoers like he wanted them to get involved as well. Without warning, he began howling out the lyrics right along with Millie, bobbing his head with every word.

On the couch, Luke and Kim simultaneously looked at one another with an odd cross of amused astonishment written all over their faces. After a moment, they both began to crack up and turned their gaze back to the horror show playing out in front of them. While his attention was focused on their mutual friend blundering lyrics and having a good time, Kim took the opportunity to slyly get a better look at Luke. He was, in a sense, very model-like (or at least model-like in a way that Kim wouldn't mind staring at all day) and even if it was only from a profile-side view, she finally got a glimpse of his full-on smile. He had a cosmic smile... or at least that was what she believed the best way to describe a great smile was. Her mother had said the same thing about Burt Reynolds' smile when they were watching Somkey and the Bandit on TV and Kim kinda had to agree with the statement, as painful as it was to agree with her mother on anything. She blinked hard, twice, shaking herself out of the memory. If she was going to use this guy to get Daniel in a huff then she needed to get the wheels moving and fast. Missing an opportunity for Daniel to notice her getting a little friendly with another good-looking guy was something she wouldn't have much time left to rectify if it happened. Kim could always smell when a party was about over and this was was definitely beginning to sour.

"Hey, you can scoot a little closer, ya know?" she beckoned towards Luke, trying to sound luring without overdoing it. "I don't bite."

"Yeah, that's what they all say."

A grin started to grow on her lips at his returned banter and it only became wider when he slid almost within shoulder-to-shoulder range of her.

Shit, even if I don't end up making Daniel jealous tonight, maybe I'll at least get to make-out with a hot guy. Forget just being handsy, she thought.