Disclaimer/AN: Special thanks to everybody who favorite-d/alerted/reviewed Breaking Up, Messing Up, Growing Up, because then you rock. And I guess if you didn't, you still do…maybe. (Just kidding.) P.S.: I AM NOT LISI BY ANY MEANS.

I see your dirty face// hide behind your collar //what is done in vain//truth is hard to swallow
so you pray, to God, to justify//the way you//live a lie, live a lie, live a lie
~Let It Rock – Kevin Rudolph ft. Lil' Wayne~

Shots

The ghost of an old rumor floating around in the head of Nikki Dalton, the question popped into her head. Forcing a serene smile on her face, she asked in a low voice: "Have you ever been in love?"

The tension surrounding the partygoers strengthened.

--Kristen

Had I ever been in love? Definitely. Most definitely. Before anyone else could even stop to ponder the question, my glass was raised, and I practically drained the cheap grape soda out of it. Next to me, Chris Plovert snickered and said something along the lines of 'chug', before emptying his glass too.

Right. Plovert.

"I feel the same way," Chris smiled, putting an arm around me the way a caring boyfriend was supposed to. I shrugged him away, saying that I was too sweaty from trying to dance. He believed me.

Would he have believed me if I told him that the 'chug' wasn't for him?

--Dylan

That question was almost too easy. Had I ever been in love? Yes. And I still was. I was standing there, holding Kemp Hurley's hand. He was more at ease with me than with any other girl, as he constantly told me. And, as we both looked at each other out of the corners of our eyes and took sips, I knew it was true.

He was better with me than he had ever been with Layne Abeley, no matter how many times they 'hooked up'. He was more comfortable around me than around any of his friends who were girls. He was more comfortable around me without Miracle.

I choked a little on my soda. Kemp thumped my back.

Claire—

I took a slow, dainty sip, smiling brightly. Of course I'd been in love – love was everywhere. From small crushes to big full-time love, I'd had it all. And every time, it felt like spring had sprung. Maybe that sounds corny. Maybe it sounds like I give my heart to every guy who I get the slightest crush on. I don't.

I'd made that mistake once, and I didn't intend on making it again.

I turned to look at Derrick Harrington, confused. Why hadn't he taken his sip yet? His eyes were fixed on the distance, nose wrinkled in that adorable way. It was only when he caught me staring that he swigged out of it, the same way he did with the milk carton at his house. (And he put that back into the fridge.)

"Sorry, babe. Wasn't thinking." He threw an arm around my shoulder, like I was one of his buddies.

Alicia—

Love was such a strong word. There were just too many ways to describe it. Were some people taking sips because of the love they had for their family and friends? If that was the case, I should've been taking a few for friendship – Olivia Ryan and Massie Block were a whole lot nicer than everyone thought…if they liked you enough.

Or did they mean love, love. Like Titanic love?

That was a pretty extreme question. How could you expect something when you were only fifteen? As people around me took sips, and smiled at their significant others, I just shrugged and took a fraction of a sip.

I wasn't sure if it was just me, but I swear that New Girl Nikki smirked.

Cam—

I made a mental note to do something horrible, evil, and cruel to Nikki the minute we left the public eye. There was no doubting what she was trying to get out of this. And it looked like she wouldn't believe anything that I said until I proved it in a game of shots. That didn't even make sense.

So, as she watched everyone (me specifically) for a reaction, I decided to see what she would do if I said yes. Taking a slow sip the same way I would on a hot day, I pretended to close my eyes. When I opened them, Nikki's eyes were narrowed accusingly.

Nikki Dalton was a nice girl. She deserved better. And she would come to realize that with time, whether or not I was the one to make her see it.

Derrick—

Wasn't love what married people claimed they were in before they got into huge, violent fights? Wasn't that what they said they were blessed with before they turned on each other, and decided that their kids were prime targets?

Oh wait. That was just my parents.

I made a small face, trying to remember if I'd ever felt anything close to love. Well, I'd told a girl I loved her in kindergarten because she gave me her cookies everyday during snack time. And once, my teacher made me write a Father's Day poem, even though I would've rather died, where I had to say that I loved him. Maybe once I'd said a couple of things to a couple of girls, but that was an 'in the moment' type of thing. (Don't ask, you really don't want to know…hehe…)

I got so lost in the list, that it took me about two minutes to realize that Claire was staring at me expectantly. I drained my glass, and slung an arm around her. "Sorry babe," I shot her a winning smile. "Wasn't thinking."

Hah. I wish.

Olivia—

Love? Was this girl serious? How could she even ask such a stupid question? There was no love at age fifteen. Love was that eternal bond stuff people always went on about on movies. And Twilight, let's not forget that. There were boys, but do they really ever last? There were long relationships, but they grew tiring. Or just split.

So no. I watched everyone else drink their sodas and give each other annoyingly adorable looks. People looked at me questioningly, like they expected me to love Derrick. Kristen even had the nerve to ask.

"You may not have known this, Kristen," I replied with an eye roll. "But there's a difference between love and lust – that feeling you get looking at other girls isn't love."

She probably should've punched me in the face. Heck, that's what I would've done. But Kristen, being that stupid goody-goody, just turned away. And I watched the couples, feeling all too lonely.

This would have to change.

Kemp—

As everyone took their sips, or in the case of some, stayed calm, I took a couple. Holding onto Dylan's hands like I never wanted to let go, I felt like one of those revolting kissy-kissy couples who always walked past my house on Valentine's Day. And it wasn't so bad from the other side.

"One for you, one for moms, one for dad, another for you," I said quietly, so that no one else would hear. Honestly, I was embarrassed, but something told me it was the right thing to say. Years of training under Dictator Derrick brought one good thing: I always managed to blurt out the sweetest things, whether I meant them or not. Only this time, I did.

"One for Mira?" Dylan asked cutely, tilting her head to the side.

I didn't answer.

Nikki—

I wasn't trying to be clingy, honestly. I'd spent the whole day reminding myself not to embarrass myself in front of Cam. (I had a history of doing all kinds of crazy things for a guy's attention – I guess I'm as boy-crazy as everyone says.) But, 'shots' was just too good of an opportunity. And maybe I was curious about everyone else.

Cam didn't seem to think so. It was egotistical. It was arrogant. It was so adorable.

And still, something deep down nagged me – was he thirsty, or did he mean something by it? What was it about the vague little rumor snippets Olivia Ryan seemed to love dropping in my direction? And why was I asking myself all of these questions?

I needed to ask one person and one person only: Derrick.

Massie--

The word love was just too amusing. I could already tell who was drinking what, and who they were drinking for. Even people who usually hung in the background, like Denver Collins and Eli Mannings (they liked each other, it was obvious), they were all so predictable.

"Chin, chin," Josh Hotz reminded me, a small smirk on his face.

"More like chug, chug."

Josh—

I usually tried my hardest to stay away from words like 'love'. Ones that can make or break a relationship with anyone, or change the world's perception of you. Either they brought me unwanted attention, or they caused me some sort of emotional trauma.

I'm not Cam. Emotional confusion isn't my thing.

So I did what I was supposed to do. Forcing Massie Block into my mind, I took a sip. I let her stand close to me – too close for comfort. (Not like it was unusual for her to invade personal space when I really didn't want to be touched.) I did what was expected and looked lovingly into her weird brown eyes, smiling softly.

When I looked up, I met a pair of aqua blue. I quickly looked away.

EN: The whole point of that was to show internal conflicts with everyone, and maybe even recap some of the past events. Are you banging your head on a keyboard and screaming at your screen because So&So and Whatever aren't together? Say so in a review, and if it fits, it just may happen.