Chapter 1: You, Me, and The Bottle Makes Three Tonight
Characters:
Rachel Janacek (Sam and Sonny)- 23
Emma Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 17
Gabe Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 16
Maddie Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 16
Katie Morgan (Sam and John; raised by Jason)- 14
Selena Morgan (Stella and Tyler; adopted by Sam and Jason)- 4
Morgan Corinthos (Carly and Sonny)- 29
Josslyn Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 22
Courtney Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 17
Connor Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 16
Jacelyn Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 14
Chloe J Hunter (Maxie and Matt)- 17
Christian Hunter (Maxie and Matt)- 17
Lukas Spencer (Maxie and Lucky)- 16
Leah Zacchara (Maxie and Johnny)- 15
Ava Zacchara (Maxie; adopted by Johnny)- 14
Daniel Zacchara (Olivia and Johnny)- 17
Mia Webber (Olivia and Steve)- 16
Allie Webber (Olivia and Steve)- 14
Izzie Zacchara (Claudia)- 23
Clay Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 22
Zack Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 17
Hunter Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 16
Brittany Corinthos (Sonny and Brenda)- 16
Brenna Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 15
Lindsey Scorpio-Drake (Robin and Patrick)- 23
Nate Scorpio-Drake (Robin and Patrick)- 17
Noah Scorpio-Drake (Robin and Patrick)- 16
Spencer Cassadine (Nikolas and Courtney)- 28
Aiden Cassadine (Nikolas and Elizabeth)- 22
Paige Cassadine (Nikolas and Emily)- 17
Aubrey Crowell (Nadine and Nikolas)- 16
Nattie Cassadine (Nikolas and Brook Lynn)- 15
Colton Cassadine (Nikolas and Elizabeth)- 14
Wes Janacek (Kristina and Kiefer)- 16
Haley Lovett (Ethan and Lisa)- 16
Logan Davis (Ethan and Kristina)- 15
Livvie Davis (Ethan and Kristina)- 15
Molly Lansing Webber (Ric and Alexis)- 28
Addie Lansing (Ric and Elizabeth)- 16
Cameron Webber (Elizabeth and Lucky)- 29
Jake Spencer (Elizabeth and Lucky)- 24
Brendan Webber (Elizabeth)- 17
Stella Hunter (Elizabeth and Matt)- 16
Alec Barrett (Brenda and Aleksander)- 23
Ashlyn Falconeri (Lulu and Dante)- 15
Lila Rae Alcazar (Skye and Lorenzo)- 28
Jamie Quartermaine (Dillon and Georgie)- 17
Tanner Quartermaine (Dillon and Lulu)- 16
Julian Quartermaine (AJ)- 15
Grace Quartermaine (Skye)- 14
Tyler Drake (Lisa and Patrick)- 17
Ian Niles (Lisa)- 14
Carrie Corinthos (Michael and Abby)- 15
Ryan Rosco (Faith)- 17
Dominic Rosco (Faith)- 14
Prue Webber (Molly and Cam)- 0
Henry Spencer (Lindsey and Jake)- 0
Sophia Janacek (Rachel and Kiefer)- 4
Kailey Franco (Franco)- 16
Reed Worth (Maggie)- 16
Rhiannon Deusa- 16
Lauren Grayson- 16
Brianna Edwards- 17
Deceased:
Bella Jacks (Jax and Brenda)- 15
Mason Zacchara (Olivia and Johnny)- 15
Jazzie Corinthos (Sonny and Kate)- 14
Lola Zacchara (Claudia and Nikolas)- 14
Ben Lovett (Ethan and Lisa)- 15
Liam Drake (Elizabeth and Patrick)- 15
Matt Zacchara (Lulu and Johnny)- 17
Joey Falconeri (Dante and Brenda)- 17
Trevor Alcazar (Skye and Lorenzo)- 16
Taylor Corinthos (Michael and Abby)- 14
Parker Ruiz (Manny)- 16
Corey Spinelli (Spinelli)- 15
Bailey Spencer (Lucky and Siobhan)- 15
Max Franco (Franco)- 15
Lily Mir (Leyla and Aleksander)- 15
Chloe J
Seventeen year old Chloe J Hunter walked through the mall, tossing her blonde hair behind her shoulder. She was shopping with her two younger sisters. She walked in the middle, bags in both of her hands and her head held high. For her whole life, Chloe J has believed that if you look confident, you feel confident and she had definitely needed that confidence the past two months.
On her left was her blonde haired, blue eyed fifteen year old sister Leah Zacchara. In the past, Leah had been whiny and annoying, but since everything, she had calmed down. She was only holding two bags and had her phone in her right hand.
On Chloe J's right was her brown haired, brown eyed (the black sheep of the family, considering the rest of their mother's kids have blonde hair and blue eyes) fourteen year old sister Ava Zacchara. Ava had always been Chloe J's favorite sister, and that hadn't changed. She had matured a lot since her near death experience a few months ago, and the loss of a lot of their friends. She had two bags in each hand and was talking, though no one was really listening to her.
"…and it's so boring." Chloe J caught the end of Ava's sentence.
"What is?" she asked.
"School! Weren't you listening to anything I was saying?"
School. At the beginning of her senior year, Chloe J would have said she loved school. She loved to cheer and didn't even mind the learning as long as she had her friends, but now, all of that was changed. New York City School (shortened to NYCS) was overcrowded and underfunded, which didn't make for a very positive atmosphere. Chloe J always thought she was destined for better things, and she knew that meant high schools too. But since PCH wasn't rebuilt yet, all of the students were split (mostly by money status) between the two neighboring schools- NYCS and Madison Academy.
"Ugh, I hate school." Leah said, finally putting her phone away. "I miss Bren. It sucks not going to school with your best friend."
Chloe J knew exactly what that was like. While she was stuck in the dump that is NYCS, her best friend Emma Morgan was going to Madison, along with her sister Maddie Morgan and their other close friends Courtney and Connor Jacks and Zack and Brittany Corinthos. Sure, Chloe J had Nate Scorpio-Drake, Paige Cassadine, Emma's brother Gabe Morgan, Zack and Brittany's brother Hunter Corinthos, and (surprisingly) Brendan Webber to keep her company, but it just wasn't the same.
"You guys ready to go?" Chloe J questioned, now that her mood was completely brought down. Luckily, Leah and Ava both nodded. They went out to her car and threw their bags in the trunk. At one point, her younger sisters would have fought over the passenger's seat, but they realized that where you sat in a car really wasn't that important after the experience they had been through. Ava got it since Leah had it on the way there and that was that.
Chloe J usually would have sang along to the radio, but today she wasn't feeling it, so she turned it off.
"So, how are you and Brendan?" Leah asked. That was another thing that had changed. Normally, Chloe J would tell Leah to get out of her business and not talk to her about her personal life, but now that she knew how close you could be to dying any day, she didn't do that.
"Good."
"Is it official yet?" Ava demanded with a small smile. It was good to see her smile. Even though both of Ava's best friends, Katie Morgan and Jacelyn Jacks, went to NYCS (by choice, might she add), she hadn't really been that happy lately. She had been one of the first attacked and never fully bounced back after that.
"Nope." Chloe J didn't know what her deal was with Brendan. Back before everything, she hated him more than anyone. But now, she realized that she didn't need to spend time hating people. Brendan must have realized too because he quit being annoying and Chloe J actually thought he was an okay person.
"You guys are so lame!" Leah complained. "Why don't you just start actually dating?"
"I don't wanna rush into anything. I know that sounds cliché, but I was in a relationship with Ryan for a year and thought I was pregnant. Give me a break."
Chloe J hadn't originally intended to tell her family about her pregnancy scare, but she did after everything about the Text Message Killer came out. She didn't want to have any secrets with them and figured that was a pretty big one. Her mom, Maxie, was a little upset, but she got over it quickly.
The blonde pulled into her driveway and shut off the car. She popped the trunk and the three of them grabbed their bags.
When they got inside, Chloe J saw that they were the only ones there. Her mom and stepdad, Johnny, were probably at work and the rest of her siblings (her twin brother Christian, 16 year old brother Lukas, and 17 year old stepbrother Daniel) could drive, so they were usually gone, plus it was Saturday so everyone most likely had plans.
"I hate this stupid money stuff. Why can't we just go to Madison?" Leah complained.
There was the million dollar question. After the TMK was revealed, Maxie decided to take time off of her fashion line Maxie Jones to spend more time with her family. All that had done was severely decrease her bank account, causing her and Johnny to have to send all of their children to NYCS instead of Madison. So while Emma was partying it up with hot rich boys, Chloe J was stuck using port-o-potties when she had to pee. Life sucked.
Emma
"Oh my God, life sucks." Emma Morgan groaned before another wave of nausea hit her. She was leaned over the toilet, her arms on the toilet seat, with her head practically in the bowl. She puked for the third time, feeling the tears sting her eyes. Suddenly, all the hair was gathered off the back of her neck and she felt a large hand rub her back gently.
When she figured she was done, she leaned back against the strong chest of one of her best friends, Zack Corinthos. Zack let her hair loose and ran a hand through it before pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"It's okay, Princess." He reassured her. "Are you done?"
"Ye…" Emma was cut off when she started to vomit again. Zack reacted quickly and picked up her hair, repeating his actions from before. She was so tired of getting sick. This time, when she knew for sure that she was done, she tried to stand, but her legs were too wobbly. Zack stood and reached his hand down, gently pulling her up.
Emma went over to the sink and reached in the cabinet under it, pulling out the mouthwash. She put some in her mouth and swished it around, trying to get rid of the horrible taste. Zack handed her a hair tie and she smiled gratefully before pulling her hair up. Their eyes met in the mirror and she nodded. They exited the bathroom together.
Emma saw that one of her best friends, Courtney Jacks, was still passed out on her bed, so she went over and layed next to her. Zack turned on the fan that was sitting near her door, knowing that if he didn't she would get too hot and freak out. They had fallen into this steady routine and he was used to it now. From Thursday to Sunday, this was his life.
"I'm never drinking again." Emma whimpered as soon as he layed down, turning to rest her head on his chest. Zack ran a hand through her dark brown hair. Emma knew that was a lie and she would most likely be in the same spot by this time tomorrow, but she didn't care.
A groan came from the other side of the bed and they knew Courtney was awake. Zack grabbed the bottle of Advil from the table next to his side of the bed and threw it over. Courtney mumbled a thank you and took some, drinking it with the bottle of water he had already put on the table next to her side.
Emma couldn't help but smile. Zack was really good at taking care of them. But hadn't he always? A long time ago, before Paige and Chloe J and Nate, it had just been the three of them. Everyone always looked over that, but Emma didn't. Zack and Courtney would always be her first friends and she knew she could always count on them.
"Hey!" Emma's younger sister Maddie Morgan walked into the room. "Oh my God, it smells like sweat and alcohol in here. What did you guys do?"
"We went to a bar last night." Emma told her. "Bad idea."
"Really bad idea." Courtney agreed, rubbing her pounding temples. "I will never drink again."
"Me either."
Zack rolled his eyes. "Both of you say that every night, and then you drink again that same day. Shouldn't you just save your breath and your time and not even bother saying it?"
Maddie laughed at the trio. "You better clean up, Em. If Mom or Dad walk in, they're going to know exactly what happened last night."
Zack smiled. "They probably knew when they heard Courtney fall down the stairs."
"Is that why my butt hurts?" Courtney asked, sitting up so she could see Zack over Emma.
"See, this is why the Dream Team needs to stick together. We all balance out each other's craziness." Maddie said.
"Yeah, then Mia got pregnant, Gabe became Dedicated Baby Daddy, Nate, Chloe J, and Paige became too good for parties, and Brittany, Hunter, and Connor seem like they're never around anymore." Zack reminded her.
Emma attempted to roll her eyes, but stopped because it hurt her head too much. "Chloe, Paige, and Nate didn't become too good for parties."
"Em, when is the last time they've come with us? We used to invite them all the time." Courtney told her. "I guess the Dream Team became the Three Blind Mice."
"Three Blind Mice?" Maddie asked with a laugh.
"Yep. Cause when you drink enough, you black out and you're pretty much blind. That's our thing now."
"Wow, and what am I?"
"You're…Maddie. I dunno, it's too early in the morning for this." Courtney fell back against the pillows again.
"Mads, next time will you come out with us?" Zack questioned. "I can't handle taking care of both of these losers all by myself."
Emma hit him, but it wasn't very hard because her eyes were closed and she nearly missed. "Shut up, Zackary."
"Keep talking, baby girl. We'll see whose helping you when you're throwing up again."
"Funny, cause I'm not going to thr…" before she could even finish her sentence, Emma jumped over Zack and ran to the bathroom. They could hear her puking. Zack and Maddie started laughing.
"Guess I better go help her." Zack stood and followed, knowing there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her.
Mia
"I…hate…puking." Mia Webber groaned as she pushed her sweaty hair away from her forehead. She was facing the toilet, which is next to the sink. Her boyfriend, Gabe Morgan, had his back up against the sink and he was watching her. There wasn't much he could do since she had tied her hair into a bun and she didn't really like to be touched when she threw up.
"It'll get better." He promised.
"Yeah, you can say that because you're not the one going through it." Mia scooted back so her back was against the wall across from the toilet. She tilted her head to lean it against the wall. "This is why teenagers shouldn't get pregnant. There is nothing good about it."
"Uh, bringing a life into this world? Having a beautiful baby? Let's face it, Mimi. With the way we look, our kid is bound to be gorgeous." Gabe gave her a cocky smile.
"You're such a dork." Mia's eyes were closed, but she knew exactly what face he was making. "That's great and everything, but I wish we could have waited a few years."
"We, huh? So what were you gonna do? Jump me in a couple years and force me to get you pregnant?"
"Will you shut up?" she was laughing now, but trying to hide it. "Besides, Gabriel, you know that you would have gotten down on your knees and cried if I said we couldn't be together."
"Probably."
Mia made gagging noises. "You're such a girl."
Gabe smiled. "Someone has to be."
"First of all, if you're calling me manly, good try because we both know there's nothing manly about me. Second, if you want to be the girl, then you carry this thing around inside of you for seven more months."
"Wow. Pregnancy hormones are already getting you."
"If you want to be slapped, just keep talking." They could hear the sound of vomiting from across the hall. "Will you tell your sister to stop puking? It's making me sick."
"Yeah, cause that makes sense."
"You don't understand because…"
"You're not the one going through it." Gabe mocked in a high pitched voice.
"My voice is not that high."
"I know, manly."
"Hey, you're the one who slept with and is dating the 'manly' girl. Are you trying to tell me something? Are you secretly gay? Cause I'm all for you taking the kid and running off with your boyfriend."
"You know, the way you talk about our baby would make most people think you don't love it."
"Most people? Not you?"
"I know your heart's not a black hole…you just have a huge black hole around it."
"Ha, you're so funny."
"Thanks, Mimi. That really means a lot." They could hear Gabe's bedroom door open.
"GET OUT!" they shouted in unison before bursting into laughter.
Katie Morgan opened the bathroom door. "God, if I didn't know any better, I would think it was the two of you that got wasted instead of Emma."
"Oh, so that's what's wrong with Pukes-A-Lot." Mia said.
"Yep. Her and Zack and Courtney all went to a bar last night, or at least that's what Maddie told me." Mia and Gabe both knew that meant there could be a whole lot more to the story; everyone had an unspoken rule that they would keep big details from the freshmen, Katie especially. Emma, Maddie, and Gabe were hoping that if she didn't hear stories of what they did, then she wouldn't do the crazy stuff they've done.
"Is there something you needed?" Gabe questioned as he stood up, reaching his hand down for Mia. She grabbed it and let him pull her up.
"Yeah, I was gonna ask you guys if you knew about any parties tonight. Jace, Ava, and I have nothing to do."
"Well, I'm off the partying market." Mia said, brushing past her and going into Gabe's room. She climbed onto his bed and sat, crossing her legs Indian style.
"You can still go. You just can't drink." Katie pointed out.
"I can't do anything until I finish my schoolwork." Mia grabbed her laptop from the side table and opened it up.
"You haven't done your work?" Gabe asked.
"Not yet. I was gonna do it yesterday, but then I didn't feel like it."
"This is why you shouldn't have chosen homeschooling. You don't have enough self-discipline." Gabe looked at Katie. "You should ask Emma about parties. She seems to know where all of them are lately."
"Okay. See ya later." She walked out of the bedroom.
"Mia, you need to keep up on your work so that when PCH is rebuilt, you can go there."
"I know, but it's so hard! I get so tired, or I start puking, or I just can't focus! I have more important things to worry about than history and math."
"You can't be a doctor if you don't finish high school, Mimi." He reminded her.
"Who says I wanna be a doctor?"
"As much as you tell everyone you don't want to be like your father, I know you want to be a doctor."
"Maybe. I don't really know yet. Right now, I just wanna do my schoolwork, okay?"
Gabe knew that meant she had reached her limit with talking. "Okay. I'm gonna go downstairs and get something to eat. You want anything?" she shook her head. He kissed her forehead and walked out.
Maddie
"Hey." Maddie walked into Kelly's, sitting down at a table.
"Hi." Connor Jacks grinned up at her. For her whole life, he had been her best friend, and now, he was her boyfriend. It was a longtime coming, and neither of them could be happier.
"Have you seen Courtney?" she asked him.
"No, she didn't come home last night. I figured she spent the night with Paige or something. Why?"
"She and Emma got completely wasted at a bar last night. Zack was with them."
"Is she okay?"
"Yeah. They're both hungover, but Zack has become an expert in handling that."
Mike came over to them. "Hey guys. What can I get ya?"
"I'll take orange juice, waffles, and strawberries, please." Maddie ordered.
"I'll have bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, and orange juice." Connor closed both of their menus (they hadn't even had to use them; all the kids in Port Charles had practically memorized the Kelly's menu) and handed them to the old man.
"Coming right up." He smiled at the sixteen year olds and went back to the counter.
"So, what are you doing tonight?" Connor asked. "Any good parties happening?"
"Probably not." Maddie scoffed. "All these Madison preps are too good for partying."
All of the PCH students hated Madison. The students there were stuck up and judged them because of the fact that they went to the same school as a serial killer. The Quartermaine children (even Maddie and Emma) got it a lot worse because they had been related to Trevor Alcazar, aka the Text Message Killer. They took it with their heads held high, and no one associated with any of the other students. The PCH kids stuck together, especially the ones in the Crew, and ignored the rest of the world.
Connor laughed. "All they would drink anyway is their Champaign and wine coolers. No one can party like the Crew."
"Got that right." Maddie smiled at Mike as he brought over their food. "Thank you."
"Thanks, Mike." Connor started eating his eggs. "Well what if we did it like Emma and Court and went to a bar? Me, you, Britt, Gabe, Hunter, Mia…"
"Mia is definitely not going to go for that." Maddie interrupted.
"I never thought I would be able to call her Buzz Kill."
"Becoming a mother has changed her. The baby might not be here yet, but I'm glad that she's maturing." Maddie cut her waffles. "Even though it is kinda boring without her."
"We need to have a party at the Enchantment one of these days. Just invite the PCH kids, maybe a couple people from NYCS and Madison that we can actually stand."
Maddie couldn't help but think of the last party that had happened at the Enchantment. Mia had been attacked, starting off the chain of the Text Message Killer.
"Maybe somewhere else." Connor suggested, understanding her fears. They hadn't seen Mia that night (they, along with Courtney, were drunk and passed out), but they saw her afterwards, and they saw the aftermath. No one was ready to relive that. "What about the Metro Court?"
"Connor, how easy do you think it's gonna be to smuggle drinks into your mom's hotel?"
"Right. We'll just have to be extra stealthy. Spiked punch and all that." He smiled. "Remember Trey Sanford's party last year? With the spiked punch and Katie got arrested for fighting with…" he trailed off, realizing that there would never be another Katie vs. Taylor fight. Taylor Corinthos had given her life for her cousin.
"It's never gonna get better, will it?" Maddie put down her fork and knife. "Every time I have a conversation, it reminds me of one of them. Corey was one of my friends when I was little. Bella was your little sister. Taylor, and even Trevor, was my cousin. We grew up with Jazzie and Lola. And Parker…"
Sometimes, Maddie wondered if dating Connor so soon after the murder of her ex-boyfriend was okay, but then she looked at him and felt that overwhelming calmness and protection, and she knew she made the right choice. She still missed Parker Ruiz, but she knew she would have to let him go someday.
"I don't think anyone has really healed." Connor said. "We're all still fighting against these demons, questioning why, why not. No one understands what all of the kids at PCH went through, but they're all so quick to judge us. How is that fair?"
"I wish I went to NYCS." Maddie stated. "They seem a lot more…tolerant."
"There's always gonna be someone, Mads." Connor smiled sadly and kept eating.
Maddie admired Connor's strength through the whole ordeal. Bella Jacks, his little sister, had been tied to a pole and drowned in a warehouse, while his niece, Taylor, had been burned to death. Even though he was dealing with his own feelings, he always put her first and tried to help her.
"Thank you, Connie."
"For what?"
"For always being there." She smiled at him and then started eating again.
Brittany
"You have got to be kidding me!" Brittany Corinthos groaned, banging her fist against the window of her car. "Why is this happening to me?"
"Well look at this." She turned around and came face to face with her half-brother (who is, long story, the same age as her, but from a different mother and they're not bitter about it), Hunter Corinthos. "Need some help, Britt?"
"Shut up and get my door unlocked."
Hunter laughed. "This is classic! Little Britty needs my help. But if I help you, what will you do for me?"
Brittany sighed. "What do you want?"
"Why do I have to want something?"
"First off, you just told me you want something. Second, why else would you happen to be walking around outside when I lock my keys in my car?"
"True." He shrugged. "I want you to buy me Chipotle."
"Okay…" Brittany gave him a strange look. They both had plenty of money; all of the Corinthos kids had bank cards connected to their father's account. She realized he probably just wanted to spend time with her, but didn't call him out on it. "Can you get my door unlocked now?"
"Sure." Hunter pulled the second set of keys to her car out of his pocket and unlocked the door. Brittany rolled her eyes, but opened it and got in. Hunter went to the passenger's side. They buckled their seatbelts and she backed out of the driveway.
"So I'm not gonna lie, Mom and Dad put me up to this." Hunter said, referring to their father, Sonny Corinthos, and his mother, Claudia Zacchara. "How's school?"
Brittany sighed. "School is…school."
"None of this is going on the record. I'll just tell them you're adjusting and you'd rather be at PCH, so they need to hurry with the rebuild."
Brittany nodded and then told him how she really felt. "I hate it so much. I don't even know how to describe it. Madison is filled with a bunch of know it all, rich snobs. I should have listened to you."
"Yeah, you should have." Hunter wasn't saying it to be rude, he was just pointing out facts. After PCH burned down, all of the students had been presented with three options- NYCS (anyone could go there), Madison (a private school with a large amount of tuition required), or homeschool. Hunter chose NYCS, while Brittany picked Madison, mostly because Maddie and Connor were going there. Hunter told her that the kids there weren't nice, but she brushed him off.
"They are downright mean to everyone from PCH. Even Emma isn't fitting in, Hunter, and we both know that Emma can talk to anyone and fit in anywhere. They're bullies."
"Someone is bullying you? Who?" Hunter demanded.
"The whole school! None of them want us there. They think that we only go there because Dad threatened to kill the principal. And they talk about him…"
Brittany wasn't able to talk about Trevor, even though it was two months after everything happened. She still hadn't comprehended that her boyfriend had killed all those people, and she blamed herself for the deaths of Corey Spinelli, Lily Mir, Bailey Spencer, Lola Zacchara, Taylor Corinthos, Ben Lovett, and Liam Drake. If she had just run away with Trevor when he asked, he might have spared the rest of them. She couldn't stand knowing that she had been the cause of her stepsister Lola and niece Taylor's deaths.
"None of that's right for them to do, Britt. But what do you do?"
"I ignore it. We all do. What can we do? We can't take on the whole school."
"But you can stand up for yourself."
"You don't understand, Hunter. The principal never wanted any PCH students to be brought in, no matter how much money they have. He wants us all out of there and he won't hesitate to get rid of any of us if we get in fights or anything."
"Maybe that's for the better." Brittany pulled into the Chipotle parking lot. "What if you switch to home schooling?"
"Then they win. I've come too far to give in now."
Paige
Paige Cassadine sat in one of the many chairs in her father's meeting room. He usually only went in there for business, and apparently the Cassadine children had 'important matters to attend to', or at least that's what his text said.
Her younger sister, Nattie Cassadine, was next to her. Nattie hadn't been the same since everything happened. Her boyfriend, Liam Drake, was killed in the fire that burned the school down. She was still pretty emotional about the whole thing.
"Hey." Her oldest brother, Spencer Cassadine, entered, closing the door gently behind him. He took a seat across from Paige. Because of their age gap (Spencer is 28, Paige is 17), the two of them have never been close. He awkwardly drummed his fingers across the table.
"Do you know what this is going to be about?" Nattie asked, breaking the silence.
"Nope. I'm just as confused as you two."
Paige knew that probably wasn't true. Spencer had always been their father's favorite and he was involved in Cassadine Industries with him, so they were a lot closer than the others.
"Hey everybody." Aiden Cassadine walked in. His three siblings smiled at him. He sat down next to Spencer, across from Nattie. "Any idea what's happening?"
So maybe they didn't actually know. Usually, Aiden knew a lot about what was going on too.
The door opened again and the last two Cassadine siblings, Colton Cassadine and Aubrey Crowell, entered. Colton sat down on Spencer's other side, while Aubrey went to Paige's. The two girls shared a smile. They had only known they were sisters for a little over two months, but they still tried to have some sort of a relationship.
"Good, you're all here." Nikolas Cassadine walked into his office. He ran his hands over his face. The stress of business had really taken its toll on him. "I just wanted to talk to you all."
"Is it about my mom?" Nattie hopefully asked. Her mother, Brook Lynn Ashton, was a singer who had been on tour for the past couple of months. She had missed the whole TMK crisis and they had barely heard from her.
"I'm sorry, Natasha. It's not." Nattie sank back into her chair. Paige squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "I just want you all to know that we need to come together, now more than ever, especially since your sister is gone."
Lola Zacchara, the fourteen year old daughter of Nikolas and Claudia, had been one of the many children killed by Trevor Alcazar. Even though he was the cousin of both Paige and Nattie, they hated him more than words can express for murdering their sister.
"Not to be rude, but why do you even care?" Colton asked. Everyone looked at him, but his eyes stayed locked on Nikolas. "You were barely around when she was alive. You've barely been there for any of us. Paige has practically raised herself, and Nattie. Spencer's pretty much antisocial and is so awkward with all of us. Aiden and I grew up with a nut job of a mother who has only cared about what guy she's with, not her own children. And maybe you would have realized Aubrey was yours a lot sooner if you just paid attention." Colton stood, his chair falling over from the force of him slamming it back. He stormed out.
With both of them being fourteen, Colton and Lola had naturally been close. Losing her, along with his brother Liam from his mother and his sister Stella from his mother being in a coma, had changed him. Colton had seen the horrors of the world and even though Paige wished there was something she could do for him, she knew there wasn't.
"I'll talk to him." Nattie offered. She followed where her younger brother had gone.
"Dad, we all get where you're coming from, but I think our family is a little bit too broken now." Aiden said. "You've got Spencer and I, who talk to you and actually have a relationship with you. Then there's Nattie and Paige, who have practically raised themselves and only had each other. Colton and Lola were close and now she's gone, so Colton's alone. Aubrey was just thrown in after sixteen years of not having us. I don't think anything is going to change, no matter how much we say it will." He sighed. "Lola was my little sister. As hard as I try, I can't remember one little detail about her. Not one. I didn't know her favorite movie, favorite color, none of it. I barely knew my own sister, and now I never will because she's dead. It's been two months and none of us have even made an attempt to be closer. It won't happen."
Aiden went to leave, but Paige's voice stopped him. "Titanic."
"Huh?" he turned around to face her.
"Lola's favorite movie. It was Titanic. Her favorite color was purple. She hated cats. She was really close to her stepsister on Claudia's side, Jazzie, but we can't even go to her to find out more about Lola because Jazzie's dead too. She was okay at the piano, but never really had enough patience. She hated storms. She always wished that all of us could be close, like the Morgans or the Jacks'. She hated the distance we had." Paige looked at Nikolas. "As much as we all try, we're not going to be closer without you. So you need to step it up and act like the father we all deserve, or just leave because I'm sick and tired of trying so hard and then being let down every time you reject me." She left.
Haley
Sixteen year old Haley Lovett walked into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She opened them back up and was greeted with the face of her stepbrother, Wesley "Wes" Davis.
"Hey, Hales." He gave her his best lopsided grin.
"Hi." She reached for the box of cereal he was holding, but he quickly pulled it away. "Gimme it!"
Haley started to chase Wes around the island in the center of the kitchen. They stopped on opposite sides and Haley leaned across it, reaching for the box again.
"You know, from this angle, I can see perfectly down your shirt." Wes commented.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't just hear my brother say that to my sister." Logan Davis came in, grabbing the box from Wes and handing it to Haley. She smiled triumphantly.
"Your sister. Not my sister." Wes reminded his younger half-brother.
"Besides, we weren't raised together. It's not weird." Haley dumped some cereal into a bowl and added milk. She sat on the counter to eat her breakfast.
"Your parents are married!" Logan cried. "You're siblings!"
"Stepsiblings." Haley corrected, shoving a spoonful of Captain Crunch into her mouth.
"It's just strange that you're dating."
"We're not dating." Haley said.
"Then what do you call…this?" he gestured between them.
"We're…talking."
"Yeah. Talking." Wes echoed.
Haley was really glad that her younger sister, Livvie, wasn't down here for this conversation. Out of the twins, Logan was definitely the more tolerable. Sometimes, his personality reminded her of her younger brother, Ben Lovett. He had died in the fire and she missed him like crazy. He was the only other person in the world that knew how crazy it was to be the child of Ethan Lovett and Lisa Niles.
Wes and Logan saw the faraway look in her eyes and knew that she was most likely thinking about Ben. She had taken his death the hardest, considering she had been the closest to him.
Haley thought about all of her siblings. Her father, Ethan Lovett, had married Kristina Davis. Wes is Kristina's son with her abusive ex, Kiefer, but they just found out about that a few months ago. Together, Ethan and Kristina have the fifteen year old twins, Logan and Olivia, who everyone calls Livvie.
Her mother, Lisa Niles, is a bit crazier. She had her first son, Tyler Drake, with the married Dr. Patrick Drake. She had been so crazy about getting a man that she slept with Ethan and Haley was born almost before Tyler had time to even get out of the womb. Ben followed the next year and he was a surprise; by that time, Ethan had already gotten with Kristina and she was pregnant with the twins. He stayed with her. Lisa had another son, Ian Niles, but no one knows for sure who his father is. Lisa had been reckless and crazy, so Ethan won custody and Haley and Ben had lived with him and Kristina for their whole lives. Now, it was just Haley.
"Maybe I'll talk to Tyler and Ian more." Haley said, trying to run the idea by Wes and Logan.
"Why?" Logan asked.
"Because time's too short, you know? Ben's gone and I'm scared that something might happen to one of them and I'll regret not ever really knowing them."
"I think it's a good idea." Logan approved.
"Wes?" Haley looked at him.
"If you think it's what you wanna do, then go for it. I'll support you no matter what."
"Thank you." She hugged Logan and then Wes, her hug lasting a bit longer for the latter. "I'm gonna go upstairs and get ready. I'm going to Addie's soon. See you guys later."
"Bye." Both of the boys said.
Logan started laughing. Wes turned to him. "What?"
"You can never threaten guys like 'don't hurt my sister' because then you'd be threatening yourself!" he said.
Wes rolled his eyes and left the room.
Emma
"Come downstairs. Your mom and I wanna talk to you." Jason told his daughter.
Emma closed her laptop and went to the living room. Sam, who is six months pregnant, was sitting on the couch, while Jason was standing near the fireplace.
"What?" she asked.
"That's exactly what we wanna talk about. Your attitude." Jason said.
Emma rolled her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"This! You've got a terrible attitude lately and we have no idea where it's coming from."
"Emma, you've always been such a sweet girl." Sam told her. "What's changed?"
"What's changed? Maybe I'm sick of people taking advantage of me and walking all over me! Maybe my boyfriend abused me, then my brother and some of my best friends beat him, and then got the whole serial killing spree blamed on them because my boyfriend died! Maybe I can't believe that I had to go to the funerals of not one, not two, but fourteen of my classmates. People that I'm related to, people that I've grown up with, people that are my best friends' siblings! Maybe I don't understand what the tiny town of Port Charles did to deserve all this!"
"Emma…" Sam started.
"No! Maybe I'm a little bitter because I'm being forced to go to a school where I'm constantly bullied and talked about and criticized, along with the rest of the PCH kids. I hate Madison! I would rather never step foot in a school again than ever go back there."
"It'll get better." Jason promised.
"You've been saying that for two months and it's only getting worse! Did you know that Brenna's knee gave out last week and she was crying on the floor for help and not one person stopped to even see what was wrong? Or that Allie, Mia's sweet little sister who never talks bad about anyone, got locked in the girl's bathroom? Or that even Haley, who would never take this at PCH, lets people pick on her and ridicule her because her brother was murdered, like it's her fault or something? They're downright mean for no reason! We've never done anything to them!"
Jason frowned. "Maybe I can talk to the principal…"
"No! You can't talk to the principal because all he cares about is his precious Madison students and they're precious parents and their precious money! He would gladly expel a PCH student for something as simple as putting gum on the bottom of a table!"
"Emma." Sam had tears in her eyes. "We didn't know that you were going through all of this."
"Yeah, because you don't ask. All you care about is your stupid 'Miracle Baby' and making sure that you can start your brand new family with Selena and the baby and forget about the rest of us."
"Emma Joy Morgan!" Jason's voice boomed. "Don't you dare speak that way to us."
"Why not? You don't care what you do to me. You let Gabe and Katie go to NYCS, but you forced Maddie and I to go to Madison. Obviously you don't care about my feelings, so why should I care about yours?"
"Emma, we're sorry." Sam cried.
"Save it. I don't need your pathetic apologies. No matter what, you're not going to pull me out of that horrible school, so why even waste your breath talking to me?" she went upstairs. As soon as she closed her bedroom door, Emma pulled out her cellphone.
"Hey Emmy."
"Hi Courtie. You know of any good parties tonight?"
Chloe J
"Well, well, if it isn't Chloe J Hunter." Brandon Carson, one of the boys from NYCS, came up to Chloe J with a smile. "What brings you here?"
"Brandon, it's a gas station. It's kind of self-explanatory."
He laughed "Yeah, I guess you're right."
Chloe J wasn't stupid. She knew he was trying to flirt with her, but she wasn't interested. She and Brendan were dysfunctional, but they had a good thing going and she wasn't going to ruin it with some NYCS kid.
"So, I'm having a party at my house tonight. It's gonna be huge. You gonna come?"
"I don't know."
"I invited your friends. Paige, Gabe, Nate, Hunter, your brother, your boyfriend."
"We're not dating." She quickly said. He looked hopeful. "I mean, we're on our way there, but nothing's official yet."
"Oh." He sighed. "Well you should come. It's gonna be fun."
"Is there going to be alcohol?"
He grinned. "Does a fish have gills?"
Chloe J frowned. "What does a fish have to do with anything?"
Brandon laughed. "Nothing. Just come, okay? I'll text you the address."
"Maybe." He started walking away. "Brandon!"
"Yeah?"
"Do you care if I bring a couple of people? Old friends from my other school?"
"Sure, bring whoever you want. This party is going to be huge!" he went to his car.
Chloe J grabbed her phone from her pocket. She made a text to The Dream Team, plus Brendan and Christian.
Party tonight. You better be there. I'll send you the address.
Zack
Zack knocked twice on the penthouse door before opening it up. He saw Sam and Jason hadn't heard him enter and they were in a pretty intense conversation on the couch.
He had known both of them for his entire life and knew it was pretty rare that they would fight to where Sam was crying the way she was now. He stepped forward.
"Is everything okay?" he asked, causing Sam to jump and Jason to turn around.
"It's fine, Zack." Jason answered. "What are you doing here?"
"Em didn't tell you? We're all going out tonight. Me, her, Maddie, Gabe, Connor, Court, Paige, Hunter, Britt, Chloe J, Nate, and even Mia. It's the first time we've all really hung out in a while."
"Good." Zack started up the stairs. "Hey Zack?"
He turned. "Yeah?"
"You've been looking out for Emma, right?"
"Of course I have."
"Okay." Jason nodded. Zack figured that was his permission to go upstairs. He smiled at Sam and then climbed the stairs, going to his best friend's bedroom.
He pushed the door open slowly and saw Emma was sitting at her vanity. Her dark hair was down and slightly curly around her shoulders. She was staring intently into her mirror, putting mascara on.
He had noticed that she wore a lot more makeup out lately than she used to. Back when they were all at PCH, she would fix her hair, throw on a little makeup, and put on an outfit she thought was cute and leave. Now, it almost seemed like she was trying too hard to be what the guys wanted her to be.
Ever since everything, Emma had changed a lot. At first, she seemed okay. After Zack was released from his holding cell, she had been happy. Then, they found out that Sam and Jason were forcing her to go to Madison. Zack had never really understood why they made her and Maddie go to one school, but let Gabe and Katie pick where they wanted to go. Naturally, Zack had decided to go to Madison since Emma and Courtney would be there. He knew how stuck up those kids could be, which was exactly why he never partied with them. They were all just sloppy punks.
But it seems like Madison had changed Emma, and not for the better. Now, her nights were filled with drinking and he wasn't even sure she remembered what happened half of the time. She was going down a dangerous path and he knew that he had to help her get off of it.
"Hey." Emma met his eyes in the mirror and smiled, but her dimples didn't poke out as brightly as they usually would, which meant she was upset.
"Hi, Princess." He assumed it had to do with why her parents were acting so weird, so he just left it alone. "Ready to go?"
"Uh-huh." Emma stood up, grabbing her phone and shoving it into her pocket. "It's crazy to think that the whole Dream Team will be there tonight."
"I know. It'll be just like old times."
"C'mon." Emma led him out of the room, flipping her light off as she went.
Party
"Ugh, this is disgusting already." Paige commented as she followed Nate Scorpio-Drake and Chloe J into Brandon Carson's house. She moved to the side as a girl spilled her drink all over, narrowly avoiding hitting her.
"It's better than a Madison party. Madison punks, sloppy drunks." Nate recited, making both girls smile. "Where is everyone?"
"Well if it was about four months ago, I would tell you Mia was probably at the keg, Gabe and Brittany would be playing beer pong, Maddie and Connor would be watching all the drunks, and Hunter, Emma, Courtney, and Zack would be walking around to socialize and drink, but now, I'm not really sure." Chloe J said.
"There's Britt." Nate pointed forwards.
Brittany was dancing with some guy they didn't recognize (and they weren't entirely sure if she did either). She had always been one of the crazier drinkers, and it seemed like Trevor's death bumped that up a notch.
"Hey Britty." Chloe J greeted.
"Hi guys!" she smiled at them. "This is, um, what's your name?"
"Tyson." The guy supplied.
"Yeah, sorry Tyson. Get lost." Nate pushed him back, stepping forward so he wouldn't be able to come towards Brittany again. "Who did you come with?"
"Hunter and Mia."
Paige frowned. "Mia didn't come with Gabe?"
"Nope. She said he was taking too long and she didn't want to wait for him, so she called us. I think Gabe and Maddie are coming together."
"What about Emma, Zack, and Courtney?"
"Who knows if they'll even show up." What Brittany said confused the three seniors, but they didn't push her on it.
"Hey everybody." Mia walked over to them, Hunter trailing behind her. He had his 'protective face' on, which meant that he had probably just scared some punk away from her.
"Look at this. Mama Mia's back on the partying scene." Nate joked. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay. Morning sickness sucks, but I've only gotten sick twice today, so that's a plus."
"You've only got like a month left of that, right?" Chloe J asked.
"Yep. I can't wait." Something behind Chloe J's head distracted the pregnant brunette. Everyone noticed and they turned in that direction.
Emma was standing on top of a table dancing around like a stripper. Courtney and Zack were nowhere to be seen, which was strange since the three of them usually stuck together.
"When she said it was bad, I didn't think it was this bad." Mia commented under her breath before pushing through Chloe J and Nate to go over to her boyfriend's older sister. She looked up at her.
"Emma, what are you doing?"
"I'm having fun! Come up here!" she reached down, trying to grab Mia's arm.
"First of all, I'm pregnant. Second, I'm not going to dance around like some cheap whore. Where's Zack?"
"I dunno." Emma giggled.
"Didn't you come with him?"
"Nooo. I drove myself!" she slurred.
Mia closed her eyes and counted to three. "Emma, you need to get down. We don't know these people well enough to trust them."
"I'm just having fun, Mia! God! You used to have a lot of fun too before my brother knocked you up!"
Mia turned around to where Paige, Nate, Chloe J, Brittany, and Hunter were watching the exchange. She pointed to Hunter and motioned for him to come over. He did as she said immediately. When he got there, she pointed towards Emma, pointed towards her shoulder, and then towards where the others were. Hunter got the message and threw Emma over his shoulder and followed her towards their friends.
"There you are!" Zack said, coming over. "She took off as soon as we got here!"
"She said she drove herself." Mia told him in confusion.
"No, we rode together." he sighed. "I can't believe she's already starting this."
"Starting what?" Chloe J asked.
"Let's just say Em's been a little…wild…lately."
"She's not the only one." Nate motioned behind everyone. They turned to look at Courtney, who was making out with some random guy.
"Maybe if they act crazy and get it all out of their system, then they'll act normal." Paige suggested.
Zack laughed dryly. "They've been doing this four nights a week for the past two months. If anything, they're getting worse."
It hurt Paige a little bit to hear her ex-boyfriend say that. She knew that he had grown closer to Emma and Courtney (both of which she had been distant from), but she didn't know they hung out that often.
"Hunter." Emma groaned. "Put me down! I wanna have fun!"
"You can have fun with your friends instead of these random guys who only want you for your body." Hunter told her as he set her down.
"I don't care what they want. I just wanna dance and drink." She started laughing. "Where's Courtie?"
Zack rubbed his temples. "Em, you need to chill. We've been here for less than twenty minutes and you're not pacing yourself. Remember when we talked about pace?"
She smiled. "Nope."
"Of course you don't."
Nate decided to make an attempt at helping. "You can't drink too much at one time or you'll get sick, Emma."
Emma glared at him, which surprised everyone. "Don't tell me what will happen. You don't know anything about me anymore." She looked back at Zack. "I'm going to find Courtney."
"She's over there." He pointed towards where the blonde was now drinking with a different guy.
"Kay." Emma walked away. They all watched her practically crash into Courtney and then the two of them laugh.
Chloe J frowned. "What just happened?"
Zack shook his head. "She's actually being pretty good compared to how she usually is."
"Hey guys." Maddie, Connor, and Gabe walked over to them together. Gabe was looking around in confusion.
"Where are Emma and Court?"
"Over there." Paige pointed to where Emma was now making out with some NYCS kid, and Courtney was taking shots with another one.
"Seriously? She's going to do this now?" Gabe sighed and went over to where his sister was. He pushed the kid she was kissing and they all watched in shock as Emma reached out, trying to slap Gabe. He grabbed her hand and pulled her back over. "Hunter, get Courtney."
"Let me go! I can do what I want!" Emma yelled, struggling to get free. Gabe was a lot stronger than her, so he easily held her in place. A couple seconds later, Hunter returned with Courtney.
"I want you both to listen to me right now. I don't care what you usually do. I know you go out and drink a lot, and you do pretty much whatever. But we're not in a tiny little bar where Zack can keep his eyes on you wherever you go. We are in a big house with a bunch of kids we barely know, and I doubt either of you know any of them. Stay with us. We all came out to have fun together, remember?"
"Why do you have to be such a buzz kill?" Courtney questioned.
"Stop." Mia interrupted. "I didn't drag my fat pregnant self to a party where I can't drink just to watch both of you act like idiots."
Emma pouted. "You were a lot more fun before you got pregnant, Mimi."
"Yeah, but I had to grow up, and now you do too. Just stop doing this."
"We will." Emma said, wobbling slightly as she tried to stand still. "Courtie, will you come to the bathroom with me?"
"Mmhmm." They all watched as the two girls linked hands and disappeared into the crowd.
Zack sighed, looking at Mia and Gabe. "Why couldn't you just leave it alone?"
Gabe frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"You don't think I haven't tried to talk them out of drinking every single night they do it? They act out a lot worse when they're told not to. Now I'm gonna be lucky if I can find them again." He walked away, going in the direction his best friends just had.
"Alright, I'm confused." Everyone looked at Chloe J. "What is going on?"
Mia, Gabe, Maddie, and Brittany all glanced at each other, debating on the best way to tell them. But they were quickly interrupted by the sudden sounds of a karaoke machine.
"Hey everybody! My name's Emma, and this is Courtie, and we're gonna sing you a song!"
"Oh God." Maddie groaned. "She really can't sing."
The two girls began to belt out the lyrics to 'Wannabe' by the Spice Girls, and it was terrible. No one in the crowd seemed to mind though, considering they were all too drunk to realize what was going on.
The rest of the Dream Team just stared, wondering when Emma and Courtney's new bad habit would finally end.
"Hey." Brendan Webber walked over to Chloe J, smiling at her and handing her a drink. "Why are you over here by yourself?"
"Because they," she gestured towards Emma and Courtney, who were dancing with some random guys, "are too drunk to even remember their own names."
Brendan knew that Chloe J missed Emma. The two girls didn't talk nearly as much as they used to, and their relationship had been strained after Chloe J considered getting an abortion with a baby that never really existed. As soon as they started talking, she had confessed this information to him, but he told her he didn't care as long as if she was ever in that situation again, she would come to him.
"Well where is everyone else? Didn't all of your friends show up?"
"Yeah. Zack, Hunter, and Nate are all practically obsessively watching Emma and Courtney, Gabe is with Mia since she can't drink or anything, Brittany and Maddie are playing beer pong, and I'm not sure what happened to Connor and Paige."
"I'm sorry this night didn't go like you expected."
Chloe J sighed. "I just want things to be like they used to be, and I can't make it happen and it's really bothering me."
The two best words to describe her would definitely be 'control freak', so Brendan knew that it was killing her to not be able to control everything that was going on in her life right now.
"It's all gonna be okay, Chloe J. There's nothing to worry about anymore."
"There's no serial killer to worry about." She corrected. "But the aftermath of this whole thing is turning out to be a lot more serious than I expected."
Courtney giggled as she took another drink of whatever was in her cup, listening to the story of some guy whose name she couldn't remember. She looked around, wondering where Emma had gone, but she didn't see her anywhere.
"Get lost." She looked up right as Christian Hunter came over to her. "Hey Court."
"Hi Chris." She grinned. "Whatcha doin' here?"
"Chloe J asked me to come." He frowned slightly. "Where is everyone?"
"I dunno." She laughed.
"How much have you had to drink?" she shrugged. "Let's go find the others."
"No!" Courtney grabbed his hand, trying to stop him from walking away. Being much stronger, Christian could have easily walked anyway, but he chose to stay. "They're mad."
"Why?"
"Cause me and Em like to have fun and they don't."
"I'm sure that's not it."
"Uh-huh. Everyone else is boring! But drinking makes it better, Chris. Em says it makes her stop hurting, and I don't want her to hurt."
Christian's eyes softened. "Does it make it better for you too?"
"Sometimes. It helps me forget that Bella's gone forever. But I do it for Emma." She leaned into him. "Don't tell her I told."
"I won't." Christian promised. "Courtney, why don't you try and get her to find another way? She could talk to people about how she feels."
"She doesn't wanna talk. She just wants to drink and drink and drink. And if she needs someone to do that with, then I'll do it with her. She's my best friend and I love her."
"I know you do." Christian hugged her. "We can try and find another way to help her, okay?"
"Okay." Courtney whispered.
"Are we ready to go yet?" Mia asked. She, Gabe, Maddie, and Connor were sitting on a couch together, Mia's head resting on Gabe's shoulder.
"I am." Maddie agreed. "Where is everyone?"
"Brittany and Paige went to the bathroom. I think Hunter said he was going to go find Courtney, and Zack and Emma are over there." Gabe pointed in the direction of his older sister. "I'm not sure about Nate and Chloe J."
"Can we leave?" Right as he finished speaking, the two seniors walked over.
"Yeah, let's get the others." Gabe pulled Mia to her feet and they decided to get Zack and Emma.
Gabe was surprised that when they got over there, Emma had her arms around Zack's neck and she was leaning against him heavily. He was swaying slowly back and forth to the slow paced music.
"Ready?" Mia questioned.
"God, yes." Zack leaned down and lifted Emma up.
"No, I wanna stay!" she slurred, barely attempting to move around in his arms.
"Time to go, Princess. Just close your eyes."
When they got back over to the others, Hunter already had Courtney, and Britany and Paige returned from the bathroom.
"Christian said he was going home." Hunter told Chloe J. She just nodded and led the way out of the house.
Brandon Carson stepped in the way of the door right as she approached it. He gave her a big smile.
"It was good to see you, Chloe J. Your friends really know how to party."
"Yep. It practically runs through your veins at PCH."
He grinned. "See you at school Monday."
"Bye." She opened the door and they all followed behind him.
"Oooh, Chloe J, you like him, don't you?" Brittany demanded.
Chloe J rolled her eyes. "No. I'm trying to be a better person these days, so since I'm kind of talking to Brendan, I'm going to be loyal to that."
"That's amazing." She said in approval. "I'm proud of you."
"Gee, thanks, Britt."
The Dream Team split up into the cars they had arrived in and headed towards the Enchantment where they would be spending the night. They were all hoping that it wouldn't be awkward, considering they never really hung out anymore. Time had changed them, and it wasn't necessarily for the better.
Overall thoughts?
Chloe J has changed a lot. What do you think about her now?
How did you feel about Emma's drinking and all that?
What about pregnant Mia? Is it as weird to read it as it is to write it?
Feelings on Emma, Courtney, and Zack getting closer? They're probably one of my favorite friendships, so I hope you guys like it too!
Maddie and Connor dating?
How do you feel about Haley and Wes? If more people like Haley, Wes, Addie, and Jamie, I'm going to try and add them into the story more. They won't be part of the Dream Team, but they'll interact more with people and have storylines. Christian, too.
Chloe J and Brendan?
What do you want more of? Less of?
Please let me know your thoughts! I'm still really hesitant on even posting this story since I don't get much response ever, so if you like it and you want me to keep updating, leave a review!
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