MAIN CHARACTERS

Hayley Smith

Will Smith

Noah Lawson

Kit Hunter

Kane Phillips

Dani Sutherland

Martha McKenzie

Cassie Turner

Jack Holden

Gypsy Nash

Kim Hyde

This story is a collaboration between myself and Skykat (back to the bay net) who's idea it was. Where appropriate chapters have been credited

Chapter 1

written by Skykat

edited by I love music

"No way am I going."

Kit Hunter set her lips stubbornly in a thin line and crossed her arms defiantly across her chest.

"Oh come on Kit, don't be like that. It'll be fun."

"I'm not being like anything. You can't honestly expect me to go to your ex-girlfriend's party when you know full well she hates my guts." Kit glared at Noah, deliberately trying to ignore the pleading look he was giving her.

"It's not just Hayley's party though, Kit, and she's not the only person who lives there. It's Will's party too and he specifically asked for you to be there. Besides I want you to come." Noah's eyes were watching her expectantly and as Kit found her eyes drawn to his she nearly melted. But not quite.

"You might want me there but you'll probably spend all night with the lads and I'll have nobody to talk to." Kit was determined to stand firm on this. It was no secret that Hayley bitterly regretted her break-up with Noah and was determined to get him back at any cost.

Kit was sure it would only be a matter of time before he decided he'd rather be with the perfect, beautiful, golden-girl Hayley Smith rather than frumpy, plain old Kit Hunter. Hayley was queen bee at Summer Bay High, the prettiest, most popular girl at school, leader of the in-crowd, and she and her followers gave anyone they disliked a really hard time. And Hayley really disliked Kit.

Even though Hayley and Noah had been over for months before he had got together with Kit, Hayley still seemed to hold her personally responsible for the break-up and made her a life a misery, constantly bringing up Kit's ex-alcohol addiction. Didn't matter that Noah too had once had a drink problem. Hayley conveniently chose to forget all about that and the fact that Kit and Noah had even got to know each other through the same school counselling sessions. Surely even laid back Noah could understand why Kit didn't want to be in the same district as Hayley, let alone attend her party?

Apparently not because he was fixing her with that look again, the look that made her turn into a puddle of Kit Hunter slush and jump through hoops to do his bidding. Well, okay. Fine. If he wanted to play with fire, he got his wish. Don't hold Kit Hunter responsible for Kit Hunter's actions though. She could be just as vindictive as Hayley Smith if she really put her mind to it.

"I promise I won't stay with the lads all night and besides you won't be alone, I happen to know at least one girl you like is going," Noah told her and Kit looked at him curiously. "Gypsy," he supplied.

"Gypsy?" Kit was astonished. "Gypsy's invited? To Will and Hayley's party? Will who's heart she broke and Hayley who hates her guts?"

"Well, not exactly invited. But Kim is sort of seeing Gypsy right now so he's bringing her along," Noah explained, as if it all made perfect sense.

"Yeah, but that's hardly a genuine relationship. Gypsy's only in it for fun and Kim's trying to impress Queen Hayley. I'm surprised he'd dare invite Gypsy."

"Well, he has and that's one person at least you're friends with," Noah told her, watching her closely for any sign she was about to give in.

"I wouldn't exactly say Gypsy and I are friends, just that we're both hated by Hayley so that kind of bonds us through a mutual enemy," Kit grinned. "But at least Gypsy's probably the one person in the world Hayley despises more than me!" Kit paused for a minute, deep in thought.

Hayley was able to wind most people around her little finger and Kim Hyde in particular was under her spell. Hayley hated Gypsy because she had broken her brother Will's heart - which was a perfectly good reason to hate someone, Kit supposed. Then there was the additional fact that man-eater Gypsy had lately set her long red talons on Jack Holden, the ex-boyfriend of Hayley's best friend, Martha McKenzie.

It was no wonder that Hayley, Martha and their crowd hated Gypsy with such a passion.

"So will you come now Gypsy's going to be there?" Noah asked, turning on that look again.

"Does Hayley know she's going to be there?" Kit asked curiously.

"I don't know," Noah answered honestly. "But does it really matter if she does? Please, please, please just tell me you'll come and I'll love you even more than I already do!"

"What did you say?" Kit asked breathlessly, her heart pounding as she looked up at him, meeting his eyes.

"I said I'd love you more than I already do. You must know by now that I love you, Kit?"

"No. You never said it before." A lump came to her throat and tears of happiness pricked her eyes.

"I know, but it's true. I do love you." Noah gently snaked his hands around her waist and pulled her into his arms. "So will you stop thinking that Hayley's a threat and realise that the only girl I want right now is you, Kit Hunter?"

"Yeah. I reckon I might," Kit told him, putting her arms around the back of his neck and meeting his eyes as Noah leaned in for a kiss. "But...are you sure you're not just saying it to get me to come to the party?"

Noah groaned. "Kit you are completely unbearable but I do love you and I'm not just saying it." He bought his lips down roughly on hers and kissed her with such a passion and intensity that Kit felt her head was spinning. She pulled away abruptly.

"In that case I'll come to the party but you just better do that one more time to convince me." She flashed him a sly grin and obligingly bought his lips back down on hers.

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"Oh my god! Did you see what she was wearing? I thought those type of boots went out in the eighties!"

Manic giggles and sniggers greeted Hayley Smith's exclamation and she smiled, pleased with herself.

"No, I think you're wrong."

By virtue of her being friends with Martha, Cassie Turner had been a part of Hayley's crowd since she had moved to the Bay nearly two months ago now but she seemed to have great difficulty bagging anyone out. In fact, Crazy Cassie, as she was known at Summer Bay High, seemed to have difficulty with most things and had some extremely weird traits such as staring into space in the middle of lessons and rocking herself to and fro. Hayley couldn't understand why Martha didn't simply ditch her and hang with the in crowd where she belonged. She glared coldly at Cassie.

"I mean the boots were so bad they probably went out of fashion earlier than the eighties?" Cassie suggested apprehensively, as though she'd had to think about it, and looking at Hayley for confirmation that she was out of her bad books.

"She might be right, you know, Hayles." Bitchiness didn't seem to come naturally to Martha either but at least she was working on it and doing a fair job, Hayley thought approvingly. "Those boots were so outdated but then the whole look was. I mean, black? It's so death-like and it really washes her out. She even looks dead." Cassie was instantly forgiven as Hayley laughed at Martha's observation.

"I know. Noah must feel like he's kissing a corpse. What does he see in her?" Hayley's face no longer wore a smile and Martha put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"He's probably just having some sort of breakdown. I mean, who would honestly pick her over you?" Cassie soothed nervously.

"Cassie's right, Hayles. You're gorgeous, any girl would kill to look like you. The only good thing about Kit Hunter is her older brother. Obviously Scott got all the good looking genes in that family."

Hayley had to smile at that. Scott Hunter was a few years older than them and therefore considered too old to invite to the party, but he was the ultimate dream boy.

"I think he likes me you know. He smiled at me in the Diner the other day," Hayley admitted.

"Really? You're so lucky, I wish he'd smile at me." Martha drifted off into daydream world.

"I thought you were still in love with Jack?" Hayley looked at her friend, surprised.

"I am, but it's okay to dream isn't it?"

"Is Jack forgiven for the Gypsy thing yet?" Cassie asked.

Martha's face clouded over. "No way! He'll have to do some major grovelling before I'll forgive him for that. I know we'd been having problems but Gypsy Nash? She's not even pretty," Martha fumed.

Sometimes, she thought guiltily, she didn't sound like herself at all. She'd never been as bitchy as this before, back when she'd lived on the McKenzie Farm before her parents died in the tragic accident. But it was so easy to slip into the ways of Summer Bay High and do what everyone else did.

"Men are only interested in her because she's easy, she's no way as pretty as you. I'm surprised you took Jack back so easily though. I'd have made him sweat a little more than that." Hayley lay back on her bed and looked to Martha for a reaction.

"Believe me, he's still paying for it. So is there anyone in the Bay caught your eye, Cass?" Martha changed the subject deftly away from her and Jack's relationship, still stung by the fact that Hayley disapproved of something she had done.

"Not really, all the nice guys are either accounted for or have been with Gypsy." Cassie turned her lips up in disgust. "I do think the new boy is sort of cute though, Have you seen him yet?"

"No, I didn't even know there was a new boy." Martha turned to Cassie, eager for information.

Hayley said nothing but she was more than a little irritated that Crazy Cassie was giving out news before she did. Hayley was the source of all information, everybody knew that.

"His name's Kane something or other. I think he might be in your brother's class. Bit of a bad boy, I heard. Sent here after getting expelled from yet another school."

"Yeah, he has a real attitude according to Will and he is kind of cute. Not as nice as Noah though." Hayley was pleased with herself for sounding so knowledgeable without having to make anything up.

"Or Jack," Martha added loyally.

"Well, I think he's pretty cute but we'll see. I can't wait for this party of yours though, Hayles, it's going to be awesome. Is Kane invited?"

"I'll tell Will to invite him for you, he'll be bound to come. After all, it's going to be the party to end all parties." Hayley hugged herself in anticipation.

"Have you decided what you're wearing yet?" Martha wanted to know.

"I have but it's a surprise. I will tell you though that Noah is going to take one look and forget all about Kit."

"Oh, I can't wait to see his face! Have you pretty much got everything sorted?"

"Pretty much. Will's invited most of the guys at school and I've seen to it that a selective number of girls are invited so all the guys will be at our disposal." Hayley smiled, pleased with herself. "All we need now is to fine tune my plan of action."

"What for?" Cassie looked at Hayley quizzically.

"To get Noah back of course!" she announced as Cassie and Martha grinned, eager to be involved.

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"Are you sure you're okay with me inviting her?"

"For god's sake, you've asked me like a zillion times now. I don't care if Gypsy comes."

"I know. I just wanted to be sure. I mean, when she heard about the party she kind of invited herself and you know what Gypsy's like," Kim continued.

"Sure I do. Look don't worry about it, mate. It's cool." There was something about Will's laid back response that left Kim unconvinced but having got his friend's consent he didn't want to push it.

"It's going to be a great party. I'm glad you talked Hayley into having it," Kim remarked.

"Hayles was easy, I just reminded her what a great opportunity it was for her to get herself a guy and she agreed straight off." Will grinned to himself. "Unfortunately the only guy she wants is the one she can't have."

"Noah, you mean?" Kim tried hard to ignore the sinking feeling he got in his stomach whenever he thought about how much Hayley still liked Noah.

"Who else? I like Kit though, she's a really cool chick and Noah's so much more easy going now he's with her. Hayles did like to keep him on a leash a bit."

"I wouldn't have minded," Kim remarked wistfully.

"You've still got a thing for her?" Will was surprised, "I thought you liked Gypsy?"

"Not really, Gypsy's fun and easy to be around but she's not exactly girlfriend material is she? Not like Hayley."

"Better not let Gypsy hear you saying that," Will teased.

"Gypsy and I agreed from the start where we stand, she's not interested in anything either. I think she's still in love with you actually."

Will shrugged nonchalantly at Kim's remark but he felt ashamed that his stomach did a somersault at the thought that Gypsy might still be after him. He shook his head angrily.

"Gypsy's ancient history. She blew it with me and I'm well over her."

Will would not admit to anybody how much Gypsy had hurt him. She was the first girl he had really liked but her inability to commit to him had been really tough and when she had slept with Jack Holden, that had been the last straw. He and Jack had been friends since Junior school; it was unforgivable.

"Are you and Jack okay now?" Will was startled at Kim's seeming ability to read his mind.

"Yeah we're good. He was drunk and I know as well as anyone that Gypsy's pretty hard to resist when she turns it on. Besides, I've got my eye on someone else."

"Really? Who?" Kim was both surprised and eager to find out who had caught Will's eye.

"She hasn't started Summer Bay High yet but she will in a week or two. Her parents have bought the Caravan Park."

"Really? And she's hot?"

"Like, seriously hot. I ran into her in the Surf Club, I think her Dad's taken over running the kiosk there."

"I think I've met him. Rhys Sutherland? Someone said he had three daughters."

"Yep, and Dani's the eldest. Dani Sutherland." Will whispered her name as if it was a magic word. "Seriously hot," he repeated.

"I can't wait to meet her."

"Well, you will do. I invited her to the party tomorrow." Will grinned smugly at Kim. "You better keep your hands off though, pretty boy," he added, teasingly.

"Don't worry, mate. I've got my hands full with Gypsy at the moment and trying to win Hayley round."

"Just a hint of advice, mate, but if you're serious about Hayles, hanging with Gypsy isn't going to help you get in there," Will cautioned.

"I know." Kim did know but the truth was that Gypsy was like a drug.

"Have you told Hayles yet that you've invited Gypsy?"

"No," Kim replied sheepishly, "I kind of wasn't going to."

Will burst out laughing. "You big wuss! Hope you're prepared to face her when she does find out then. And don't think you're going to hide behind me!"

"Oh yeah? Who say's I'll need to?" Kim demanded.

"No-one. It's just you can't hide behind me because I'll be busy hiding behind you when Hayles realises I told Noah he could invite Kit." Will burst out laughing and Kim guffawed.

"Hayley is going to majorly flip out!"

"I know! How about we both hide behind Jack?" Will suggested and Kim smiled. Both of them knew that when Hayley did find out it, there was no way she would see the funny side and that was really no laughing matter.

No laughing matter at all.

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