"I swear the next time I see him I'm dumping his sorry ass," I growl as I hold up a laser cut black halter dress from the Stella McCartney line against my body. "I feel so damn stupid."

"Try that on," Cilla commands from her spot on a plush seat. "I never trusted him after last Halloween. You know…? When we all got drunk at that party, and he pushed me in the pool in my white dress? Like, seriously."

"Don't remind me," I grumble as I pick up a one shouldered sequin purple dress from the rack on my right side. "I'm such an idiot for waiting this long to do something. And for the last time I did not get drunk! You did! I hold my liquor very well thank you!"

"Could the two of you kindly cease the mention of the consumption of alcohol by minors in a public place?" Tia sighs as she returns to us from a couple racks away. "Unless of course you actually want to get fined. Or do some time in the slammer."

"Yes Ma'am," Cilla and I respond with a mock salute before I return to examining the dresses I have draped over my arms.

"Great," she replies with a wink. "Now what are we not supposed to remind you about Avery?"

"I'm dumping Chad the second I see his cheating cow face," I snarl as I toss the dress over my arm. "He went on a date with Chel Bryans last night instead of showing up for our anniversary dinner at Alize."

"Oh. Well it's about time. I never liked him. Sorry about the Chel Bryans debacle though. Rather unforeseen on my part," Tia quips as she hands me a stack of dresses in an assortment of colors.

"What's all this?" I ask, eyeing the red form-fitting silk number on the top. "There's no way we have this much time."

"We do if you hurry," Tia retorts. "C'mon. Cilla, I've got a couple for you in the private fitting room."

She grabs our hands and tugs us towards an unmarked doorway, behind which lies a room, lux and private. The private fitting room contains a few couches along the walls, an intricate Chinese screen for changing behind and a chandelier that hangs from the ceiling. Piles of formals, semi-formals and cocktail dresses litter one of the couches.

"So I take it you already have something picked out?" I ask Tia as I toss her my purse. "Well don't keep us in suspense...Do show."

She rifles through a few things on a hook and presents to us her outfit for the evening. It was a short aqua blue cocktail dress, complete with intricate straps of white diamonds. The fabric was of the finest satin, and had delicate aqua mask dusted in silver glitter to match.

"Well someone went all out," I say before picking up the red silk dress and stepping behind the changing screen.

"As you both ought to," she sighs as she herds me behind the screen.

I shove her arms away halfheartedly before fully disappearing behind the screen and beginning to pull my sweater over my head. After tossing it on the ground behind me I begin slipping into the red dress, wincing at the fact that I have to arch my back in order to get it zipped all the way up.

"Need help there, hun?" Cilla asks as she peaks around the screen.

"I'll let you know when oxygen can get to my brain again," I pant as my tingling arms fall back to my sides.

A back corset comes flying over the screen and lands on the floor next to my feet.

"Try that underneath and stop complaining," Tia scolds. "Pain for beauty."

"I'm pretty sure the saying is beauty is pain," I retort as I pick up the corset and throw it back at her. "And how about I just chose a dress that is actually my size? Or better yet, how about not going in a dress at all? I've got a comfy pair of ripped black jeans that actually allow me some breathing room."

"Only if you let me pick you a pair of heels."

"Depends on what you have in mind," I reply as I pull my sweater over my head. "Are they comfy? Or will I need to take it like a woman?"

"I can get you squishy insoles if you're gonna be a wimp…" she sniggers from the other side of the screen.

"You're calling me a wimp?" I retort as I come out from behind the screen. "Let's not forget who it was that toughed out that museum field trip in stilettos. That's right, ME!"

"Blah blah," Tia mocks as she tosses a top over the screen. "You can wear this with those jeans and the heels. OKAY?"

I walk back around the screen and squat down to pick up the poor discarded top. Studying the rich red wine satin corset top, I come to the conclusion that it's nice and fitted without me needing extra help to stay in it. It's plain, but retains a certain refined elegance that I love.

"Good choice on this one," I begrudgingly admit.

"I know," Tia sighs dramatically from the other side of the screen. "I'm a goddess of fashion. You don't need to remind me darling."

"Well don't let it give you a fat head dear," I joke as I zip up the top with only a little difficulty. "We'll talk when you're on a runway in Milan."

"It's not impossible…" Tia says, and I can practically hear the pout in her voice.

"I never said it was," I retort as I step out from behind the screen. "Just remember the little people and give them nice discounts on your designer line."

She grins at me and give an OK on my top. Grinning tiredly I glance over at my reflection in the mirror. It looks good, but I'll need to change out my navel ring to something that won't make a bunch of weird bumps in the fabric the way my trail of stars ring does now.

I flip my hair over my shoulder before turning slowly to glance at my form from the back. My hair covers the parts of my back left bare by the top, and the zipper is secure and the top even comes with a nice hook to ensure it won't fall off my body. All in all it looks good.

Glancing back to the other side of the room, I have to keep myself from sighing heavily. I tap Tia on the shoulder before pointing over to the plush couch sets.

"Look," I say incredulously. "I think someone finally had a caffeine crash."

Sure enough, Cilla is sprawled out across the dressing room sofa, snoring loudly. Dresses lay in crumpled heaps around her and a thin trail of drool snakes down her chin.

"You think we should just leave her there?" I ask Tia, only half joking.

"Oh most definitely," she cackles as she turns to undo the hook on my top. "I'll ask an employee to carry her down to the car for us when we leave. Get dressed."

"Are we meeting there?" I ask as I begin to unzip the shirt.

"Sure, that works," Tia says as she grabs her dress and mask. "See you there then."

I give her a half smile before stepping back behind the screen.

Once her footsteps fade from the dressing room, the weight of everything that's happened in the last few hours hits me like a cement bag.

So…I've really been cheated…

Well this is a first.

I'm not going to lie. It stings.

Although I won't go as far as to say I feel the need to go lock myself in my room and cry my eyes out while watching sappy romantic movies and eating my weight in ice cream. Well, I guess I could always go for ice cream…

Shaking the thoughts from my head, I pull my sweatshirt back. This is so stupid. Slinging my school bag over my shoulder, I drape the red top over my arm and step out from behind the screen.

I wave goodbye to the unconscious Cilla before heading towards the checkout.

Hundreds of fine dresses peek out at me from the dress racks, but for some reason, none catch my eye like usual. Normally I buy because I can. I have the money so why not? But I guess I'm still a little more depressed over the whole Chad thing than I thought.

Which is even weirder, since now I could splurge more than usual in the name of 'shopping therapy.' But what really made me feel better wasn't trying on dresses and shoes, but talking to the shy nerdy boy whose existence I never really acknowledged.

That's kinda scary.

~ Time Skip ~

By the time I'm dressed and my makeup is done its 6:45.

I clomp down the stairs of the suite in my five inch, scarlet suede, round toe stilettoes to see dad and girlfriend number thirty-six lounging around couch and watching some kind of sappy chick flick movie.

"Hey dad, did you pull out the mask collection?" I ask as I muss up my hair.

"It's the box on the table," he replies in an emotionless tone without even looking away from the screen. "You got your phone?"

"It's fused to my hand like always," I snark as I walk up to the plastic bin on the island bar counter.

"Be back by eleven," he sighs as he picks up his glass of wine from the coffee table and takes a deep drink from it.

"But Spring break starts tomorrow," I complain as I toss the lid aside and pick up the first black sequined mask I find. "It's not like I need to be anywhere."

"Alright," he sighs. "Be back by two."

I'm crushed with a familiar bittersweet feeling as I stuff my cardkey and credit card into my jeans pocket and head towards the door.

Don't get me wrong, dad's cool and he hardly ever denies me anything, but sometimes I wish he'd be a little more concerned about me like the parents on those annoying sitcoms reruns that are always on. I mean honestly, I'm fifteen years old and he's already let me get my first tattoo. Well it's small and easy to conceal but hey, come on. Part of me only asked for it to see if he would be responsible enough to say no.

It was the same deal with my navel piercing. I asked, expecting him to at least be concerned about possible infections from tools or just me not taking care of it. But all that happened was he said his current girlfriend owned her own parlor and he could make the appointment right now if I really wanted it.

I guess in the end I got them both because again…why not?

Wow…that sounds really stupid even in my own head.

My eyes trail down to the inside of my left wrist where the black ink of my tattoo glares up at me. I sigh heavily and adjust my black and gold Chanel cuff bracelet to hide it before I step up to the elevators.

The doors slide open and I drag myself inside the compartment. My ears ring with the soft music in the background as I lean up against the walls. How many things about me would be different if I had a more controlled upbringing?

No blond and pink hair.

No credit cards.

No guitar lessons, but something stupid like a clarinet or harp.

No walking around the city unsupervised.

No going alone to concerts and shows.

Definitely no tattoos or extra piercings.

And definitely no hanging around with Cilla and Tia.

Hell if I grew up with mom I'd probably be super lucky if I even had a cell phone.

As if my cellphone has a comedic timing app, my phone buzzes to let me know mom's sent me another picture message.

Rolling my eyes, I type in my password and the screen shifts to the picture message. I glance down at the small line of text underneath it, and automatically my mind reads the text in mom's voice.

We've finally chosen the maid of honor and the ring bearer's outfits. Sakurako and Tamaki look so stunning. Still wish you were attending.

Glancing back up at the photo I look at the blond haired bot that is to become my stepbrother. We look oddly alike, except for the fact that I'm not a natural blonde. I guess he is a little bit handsome, but not really my type thank god. I just feel bad that someone looking like him has been reduced to being a ring bearer.

Isn't that a job for a little kid or something?

My glance trails over to my sister, and I feel bile rise in my throat at the sight of her hideous pink dress. Honestly I am appalled. It's full of bows, lace, and sequins and the color of Pepto Bismol. Once again, I say a prayer of thanks to whatever deity is listening that I was able to escape this horrible fate by convincing mom that next week was all of my final exam sessions.

I slip my phone back into my pocket as the elevator doors slide open again and I begin my trek to the Aria. Even in my ridicules heels I know the Las Vegas strip and the surrounding streets like the back of my hand, so I can avoid the massive crowds of tourists.

It's a long walk, but it's still way faster than attempting to take a taxi.

My senses are always overrun as I walk through the streets at night. Everything is blindingly bright, and the scent of smoke and alcohol hang heavy everywhere. It doesn't bother me as much as it used to, but I've become pretty good at weaving my way through the crowds to avoid the worst of it.

Eventually I'm met with the looming form of the Aria.

It's not hard to find the party hall. I can feel the boom of the bass vibrating in my sternum from the minute I set foot in the lobby. The staff has the perfect balance between controlled irritation and complete indifference over the commotion, and the guests don't seem to notice at all.

I roll my neck and shoulders before stepping into the half lit party hall that's covered in confetti and metallic multicolored balloons that roll around the floor when they come in contact with other kid's feet. I nudge the one that floats over to my with the toe of my shoe, and wonder how long it will take for someone's stilettos to pop one.

My question is answered almost immediately as I'm making my way over to the table weighed down by party food. A small group of girls I vaguely recognize from my French class stumble away from the spread and trip over their own feet, popping about five balloons simultaneously while spilling punch all over the floor.

So I guess I should watch my punch intake. At least until I find out what's actually in it that is…

~Time Skip~

I spend the first hour and a half lingering around the edge of the party.

I found Cilla and Tia about forty-five minutes ago, but they broke away to dance with some guys from the water polo and soccer teams. The songs fade into each other and I've lost count of how many have passed since I last refilled my cup, so I kick off my place on the wall and saunter over to the table for the fifth time that night.

I gnaw on a few cheese cubes and a potato ball before sliding over to the punch. I hum along with the new song that fades in and debate going home since I'm bored out of my mind.

"Hey who's the guy in the suit?" some girl leaning against the snack bar suddenly asks. "Never seen him around school."

"Hows' a guy lookin' like that stayed off my radar all year?" her friend slurs. "Come on let's go pick him up."

"Too late," the first girl sighs. "Someone's beat us to the punch."

My eyes raise from my drink and follow their gaze. They land on a tall but thin boy with sleek black hair. He's decked out in a black suit with a white button down shirt. He looks handsome but completely out of place, and I can tell by just looking at the way he carries himself.

Will actually showed up.

I won't blame them for not recognizing him. After all, he did clean up good, but now I'm kind of regretting asking him to come as more girls begin to notice him and swarm like bees. He looks completely distressed and it gives me a faint tug on the heartstrings.

My feet move without me really thinking about it and carry me to the edge of the mass of girls. They continue to crowd the poor kid and shamelessly drop pickup lines in an attempt to sound seductive. I almost find myself giggling as I picture how they'd react to finding out he's just the smart nerdy boy they'd completely blow off if he tried talking to them.

Right then, Will looks up and catches sight of me. A look of relief passes over his face as he makes a move to walk over.

"A-Avery," he stammers as he manages to bridge the gap between us. "I can't believe I actually managed to find you in all this."

"I can't believe you showed up," I tease as I loop my arm through his and pull him away from the disappointed group of girls. "I thought these kinds of parties weren't your thing."

"Well…" he trials off as his shoulders slump. "Everyone keeps telling me I need to get out more and learn to deal with other people. But I guess with what happened back there I still need some work."

"I guess that was kind of your Cinderella moment huh?" I mutter as I guide us back towards the snack table. "How did it feel having all that attention from a bunch of cute girls?"

His face turned red as I let go of his arm and reach for the ladle resting in the punch bowl. It's cute how easily he gets flustered, but the look on his face halts the giggle building up in my throat.

"Fake," he mutters grimly.

"What?" I reply as I turn back to him.

"It felt really fake," he repeats as he averts his eyes from me. "Because I know if I showed up here looking like I usually do they'd have blown me off just like usual."

"What?" I reply with a dry laugh. "Did you think I was just teasing when I said you looked cute without your glasses?"

"I-I didn't know what to think about that," he stammers as his cheeks turn even redder and he nervously pulls at the neck of his shirt.

"Here," I sigh as I shove my cup into his hand. "It's not prom, loosen up a bit."

I ignore the ever reddening of Will's face as I reach up and work the knot on his tie. Within a minute I have it off, the first two buttons on his shirt undone, and his jacket open. I fold the tie and stick it in his jacket pocket and study him again.

"There," I say as I admire my handy work. "Just one last thing."

I reach up and mess up his hair so it's in its normal messy state. The ebony hairs are fine and soft against my fingers and reflect the colored lights of the room that dye our surroundings in shades of blue, purple, and lime green.

"Were you always this tall?" I grumble as the heels of my stilettos finally settle back on the floor. "Cuz these are like, five inch heels."

Will just averts his eyes and shakes his head. He hands me back my drink and finches slightly when his hand brushes mine. Maybe I overdid it a bit.

"Do you want a drink?" I ask, trying to defuse the awkward silence.

"Isn't there stuff in it?" he asks as we watch a group of kids stumble past us with their cups sloshing red punch over the rim.

"Well yeah," I sigh. "It's a party after all, of course it's been spiked. I'm guessing it's vodka since I can't really taste anything other than the punch."

"You drink?" he asks, looking highly concerned as I bring the rim of my cup to my lips again.

"Occasionally," I reply as I agitate the cup. "And I can hold it well so when I do drink I tend to indulge a bit. But it's not like I'm addicted."

Will doesn't look convinced as his gaze drifts over to the punch bowl again. Disapproval is clear on his face. I guess I'll just take that as a no.

"Do you want to dance?" I finally ask, trying to dissolve the awkward silence that's only diluted by the loud boom of the music.

"I-I don't really know how," Will stammers awkwardly.

"Oh please," I cackle as I place my cup don on the nearest table. "You don't need to actually know how to dance nowadays. All you really need to do is jump up and down and bob your head to the music. Trust me no one's judging."

I grab onto his hand and his face is washed over in a wave of panic. Ignoring the distress signals he's giving me I bring him to the edge of the crowd.

"Come on," I insist as I turn back to him. "Just have fun."

Grabbing his hands in mine I pull him closer into the mass of people. But we've barely been, if you can really call it, dancing for a minute before Will freezes solid. I stop my awkward jumping and glance up at him, his wide blue eyes fixated on the other side of the dance hall.

I push myself up on my toes and try to see over the heads of the crowd, which is easier said than done, and try to follow his gaze.

And the sad thing is, I don't really feel anything other than hallow when I see Chad Walk in with Chel Bryans draped around him like, well…cheap clingy drapes. It's horribly uncomfortable to look at and honestly makes me feel like I shouldn't have had that last cup of punch, since it makes my stomach turn when he leans down and kisses her loud, hot pink lips.

"Well," I mutter as I swallow with a little difficulty. "I think I may have just thrown up in my mouth a little bit."

"Are you alright?" Will asks suddenly, his eyes widening as he glances down at me.

"Fine," I reply bitterly. "So long as I don't have to look at it for too long."

I walk away from the dance floor in a slight daze, still quite not believing that he actually had the balls to show up with Chel at a party like this. My head presses against the cool wall hand the cold rushes into my flushed skin.

"Stupid," I mutter as I bang my head against the wall. "Stupid, stupid, stupid."

My eyes flicker over to them again against my will, to see them practically mating on the dance floor and the urge to hurl hits me again. This is the time to quit. Time to go home and sleep this off.

But not before I go break his foot with my heels.

But before I so much as take one step in their direction, a mop of ginger dip dyed hair all but yanks them apart by their hair. Cilla looks like a raging inferno as she gets in Chad's face, and I can see by the way she's wobbling in her black ankle boots that she's had a few more than one too many drinks.

Then my heart all but stops as she brings her hand back and slaps Chad across the face.

I can feel his anger and see it flash in his eyes. My feet move without much instruction from my brain, which seems to have temporarily shut down. As I continue stumbling through the balloons that litter the floor, I watch in horror as his hand flies back and he returns her slap with the strength of a varsity football player.

The force of it sends Cilla's lightweight body flying backwards and into a group of people in a small circle at the edge of the floor. They stumble out of the way, making no effort to try and help her as she hits the floor with a muffled thud.

Tia steps out of the crowd just as I reach Cilla, and I turn to face Chad as Tia tries to get Cilla back on her feet.

"Just when I thought you couldn't sink any lower," I spit.

"Bitch deserved it!" he snarls back at me, looking completely unconcerned at the fact that I just caught him cheating on me.

"So did you!" I yell as I my eyes flash over to Chel, who's peeking out from behind Chad's shoulder with a smug look on her face. "I can't believe you're actually stupid enough to bring her here where there was a 110% chance I'd see you!"

"Why do I care about any of that?!" he roars in my face. "I only dated you in the first place because you were loaded! Now who's the stupid one?!"

The hallow feeling from earlier returns. It seeps over me like molasses, and the only thing I can feel at the consistent vibration of the bass in my bones.

Chad's lips curl into a triumphant smirk at my shock, and I'm painfully aware that everyone seems to have stopped the party to watch our fight.

Well if they want to watch, I'll give them a good show.

Before Chad even has the chance to react, I throw a right hook that catches him straight in the nose. There is a sickening crunching noise, followed by shooting pain up my arm to tell me I wasn't as clear headed as I thought and didn't throw the punch the right way.

But that's a small price to pay to see Chad howling and clutching his face, blood streaming through his fingers.

"As if it wasn't already obvious, I'm relieving you from your position as my boyfriend," I say sharply as I cradle my hand. "And if you still plan on cheating after this, I hope you'll at least be smarter about it next time."

I turn to leave, and the first person I see is Will. I smile sadly and nod towards the door, giving him a silent goodbye. But my attempt to leave is stopped when he reaches out and takes my right hand out if the cradle made by my left.

"So…" I trail off as he examines it. "Will I live?"

"I'm no doctor," he sighs as he lets go and my hand returns to its cradle. "You should get that looked at by a professional."

I nod numbly in thanks before glancing back at the door.

"Thanks," I mumble. "I guess I'll just-"

I'm cut off as Will suddenly grabs onto my arm and pulls me forward. Glancing behind me I see Chad falling forwards, his fist outstretched and positioned to punch me had Will not pulled me out of the way. He crashes into a group of people crowded around us that is to drunk to react fast enough, and some poor kid gets a fist in his face.

"He look!" some kid laughs idiotically. "They're punching each other!"

Then without warning he punches the kid on his left.

I stare in horror as the people around me start breaking into fights.

Shit…this is going to end badly…

XXx Author's Notes xXX

Well...

I've survived the return to school and finally gave this fic some long overdue attention. Now to focus on everything else I'd say I wouldn't get behind on...

Well starting next chap we'll get to Japan and actually have some interaction with the other characters. But anyways, let me know what you think! Reviews are much loved and pull me back from my 'Do nothing for days after I post a chapter' funk.

So till next time!

Lotsa love, Krystal