A/N: I'd just like to officially say: YOU GUYS ROCK! Seriously. I love you more than my little cactus beside me, and that's saying something. I seriously hope that this is up to all your expectations, especially the ones that Auriela unconsciously put on me.

The Party

Vee

The door swings open to reveal a party pumping behind a hallway filled with drinking teenagers.

'Hey Cate,' I hear the guy who opened the door greet us. 'Cedric,' he says, nodding to Cate's brother who I had met only an hour ago. I smile at the guy. He's fairly tall, and in his mid twenties, I wonder what he's doing at a party like this.

'Chris,' Cate gushes, 'This is Vee.'

I understand who he is now. He's the eldest son of the Jonson's, the ones who are holding this party for me. Cate had filled me in on the way here. He seems nice.

He leads us through the hallway, and I feel everyone's eyes on me. If it hadn't been for Cate holding my hand tightly, I would've felt extremely abandoned.

As soon as we enter the living room where everyone is dancing, everything stops. I know for sure that everyone is staring at me. Even the music seems to stop, or maybe only in my ears.

Chris just smiles, and leans over to lead us to the other end of the room where people are chatting. I look around and see stairs leading to another dining room, where all the parents seem to have situated themselves.

People start dancing again, and the music returns, blaring loudly from the speakers. I see Chris lean over to say something in Cate's ear. She blushes and nods, saying something back.

I feel completely and utterly dirty. The dirty feeling you get when you feel as though there's something wrong with you, because everyone's avoiding you, or looking at you like you are some sort of robot.

Cedric leans against the wall, smirking to himself. I'm not quite sure what to think of him yet. At the moment, he just seems stuck up with his ability to overrule people using his knowledge. Not something I'd find very attractive, but he also seems to think that the ladies love him. Maybe in Australia.

The song ends and people clap the dancers off while everyone relaxes. Chris and two guys walk over to us, one grinning from ear to ear while the other whispers in his ear. I recognise the guys with Chris as the two we met this afternoon. Straight away I'd known that he was the guy Cate had been talking about.

I stand only briefly including myself in the conversation. I feel a bit out of it. Either the jetlag, or I'm coming down with something. It's making me feel as though every so often the ground jolts out of its senses. I smile every so often, and soon Cate gets whisked off for a dance. I knew that she was being modest when she said that guys were never interested in her.

I lean against the wall, and pretend to listen to Cedric as he goes on about the politics of Australia. This was going to be a long night.

Nate

I stare at Liam in shock, he did not just do that.

But he had.

Completely embarrassed me in ways I didn't seem possible. Galumphing around in a way that he thought was an attractive manner of dancing, and sticking his tongue down the throats of his partners. The only thing that scared me most was that Tim wasn't that far behind him.

They had made a bet to see how many girls they could kiss. Really, I didn't want to know. I stand with James now, on the edge of the dancers only five minutes after we've arrived. Chris leaves us for a second as the bell rings, to be the host that he is.

The people stop dancing as everyone turns and stares at the people entering the room. James and I unintentionally look over the top of people's heads to see them arrive. It's Cate, Vee, and of course, Cate's oh so lovely brother Cedric.

'What her name again?' I hear Jessica, a girl in my year, whisper to her friend Clarice.

'Vee, it's short for something. An exchange student, would you believe? In Haberfield of all places.'

'The poor girl looks miserable,' Jessica says. I have to agree with her. She looks paler that she did today, only brightened by the red lipstick that is unsmiling. Apart from that though, she looked great.

'Miserable she may be, but not poor. She came on exchange, babe. That doesn't cost nothing. Apparently she came with a really expensive program too, so she could make sure that she was well looked after.'

'I guess so. But you'd want to make sure that you were, coming from the other side of the world.'

I tune out of their conversation as the dancers start dancing again. I look over at James, who is pretending not to look at Cate. Chris comes over and says that we have to come over and help him, exclaiming that otherwise, Cedric will drown him with his arrogance. We laugh as we walk over. I lean over to whisper in James' ear.

'Smile at Miss Cate. Smile. Smile at Miss Cate,' he laughs and starts grinning. Not quite what I was after, but it seems to do the job. Soon they are on the dance floor.

People come and go, joining in the conversation. Vee barely says a word, only smiles now and then, looking about as though she wished she could be somewhere else.

'Do you like to dance?' I ask her when it is only the two of us.

'Not at the moment,' she replies quite haughtily. I know that it's wrong to make first impressions, but at least I know to trust my instincts. I always thought that she acted superior to everyone around her.

Someone puts on an old mix of ABBA, the Beatles, and other dance songs like the Macarena. I ask Jessica to do the chicken dance, and have a fun dancing around doing the actions. Someone eventually puts on Grease, and since most of the people go to our school, we do the dances from our musical we held last year.

It's really amusing and hilarious seeing everyone do crazy dances getting really into it. But there's only one black hole. Vee is standing at the side, staring at the people in the middle, like a gloomy ship on a sea of colours. Cedric is beside her, but he doesn't really stand out as much as she does. Maybe it's because everyone already knows him, but then, maybe in her own small way Vee draws attention to herself.

I see Matt rarely. He just hangs at the corner noticed only but those like him. Grease stops and everyone crowds off the dance floor for a drink. Cate leaves James for a moment or two, but other girls soon bite him up.

I think back to the conversation we had before we left.

'Now, if every girl at the party does not leave in love with you, then I am no judge whatsoever of beauty,' I had said when he walked into the room, making him blush.

'Or girls,' he retorted.

'Shucks,' I replied, pretending to be bashful.

I walk over to Chris who seems to be free of anyone.

'Chris,' I say.

'Nate,' he replies with a grin.

'It's too hot in here, will the stairs be cooler?' I ask.

He nods and we slowly make our way through the crowds up the stairs. We sit halfway down, letting the cool air from the window above the staircase breath down on us.

'Come,' we hear Cate voice trail up the stairs, 'dance.'

'Sorry Cate, but you have the most handsome guy under your wing,' Vee replies. I grin, and Chris laughs.

'He is gorgeous isn't he?' Cate sighs. Well at least we knew that the feelings aren't unrequited. Vee laughs at Cate.

'But his brother is pretty good looking too Vee. And it's not like it ever adds up to anything. We aren't asking you to marry anyone,' Cate reasons.

Chris looks over at me smirking. I punch him in the arm.

'Perfectly reasonable, probably. But just not my type.'

'Oh and you're type is drop dead gorgeous,' Cate laughs.

'But of course. You'd better run off now, before your boy gets swallowed by girls.'

I feel my face change from laughter to horror. Bitch.

'Hey,' Chris says, bringing me back. He's looking at me concerned. 'Just think of it like this, if she liked you. You'd have to talk to her.'

I laugh, Chris always knows how to make me feel better. Earlier we had both agreed that she was a lot like Cedric.

'I'm pretty sure I wouldn't dance with her anyway, even if I was drop dead gorgeous.'

Chris laughs and we get up to dance again as someone puts on another mix.

Vee

Someone jumps behind me and covers their hands over my eyes.

'What's this?' Cate says, uncovering my eyes. 'Not having fun at your own party?'

I laugh.

'No, not at all. I'm just so jet lagged I can barely move. Would you be getting up and dancing when everyone's telling you it's only eleven, when you're body was thinking it was twelve the next day.'

'Shouldn't you revived if it's the middle of the day?'

'Not when I haven't slept that night.'

'Ah,' Cate says. 'Come, dance.' I laugh at her ignoring what I just said. I decide to play along though, just to make her happy.

'Sorry Cate, but you have the most handsome guy under your wing,' I say.

'He is gorgeous isn't he?' Cate sighs. I laugh at her. She looks like a lovesick puppy.

'But his brother is pretty good looking too Vee,' she continues, 'And it's not like it ever adds up to anything. We aren't asking you to marry anyone.'

I make a face and hold my hand out like I've got a cup of tea.

'Perfectly reasonable, probably. But just not my type,' I say poshly, exaggerating my accent. I take a sip of the tea.

'Oh and you're type is drop dead gorgeous,' Cate laughs.

'But of course,' I exclaim before dropping the act. 'You'd better run off now, before your boy gets swallowed by girls.'

Cate look worried for a second, before smiling at me and going to James. I laugh silently to myself as the music start up and everyone starts dancing again. What was with these people. It was as if they could just go and go and go.

By twelve, half the people are drunk enough to start playing the chicken game and the uncomfortable game. It's then that the parents decide to come down and break it up. The music stops and more than half the crowd swarm out the front door. James and Nate's parents come over with the Jonson's to join us where we have become a tight circle of Cedric, Cate, James, Nates, Chris and I.

George, Nate's father, has to be the oddest man I have ever met. The conversation somehow leads to James, and if anything, George embarrasses him to no extent.

'No, James is the most handsome out of our boys. When he was just twelve a girl started sending him songs that she had written herself!'

James turns bright red at the statement.

'And it absolutely killed it. Whoever thought that music would injure romance?' Nate says, saving James from any further embarrassment.

'I think music is of much importance in romance,' I say. Nate looks at me, the laughter slowly dying from his face, although a little twinkle in his eyes.

'Yes, maybe in a dreamers world. But I'm sure a bad love song would kill anything romantic.'

'So what do you think is better than music?'

'Dancing. Even if your partner is only reasonable.'

He smirks to himself, and then exclaims that he'll grab his coat then be off.

I stare at his back as he walks away, thinking only of how he so readily gives his opinion, and how bright his eyes twinkle.

Acknowledgements: A huge hug and chocolates to Leigh A. Sumpter, non-damsel, islington bus no. 199, Auriela, Lia, MagentaLee, cocoapuffaddict, Beth, and Sobee1982.