2 months later; The party

2 months had passed since Sam's dad's funeral. She was recovering well enough, and seemed to be moving on. It was February, not the beginning of the school year and not the end. The perfect time to throw the wildest Centerscore parties. The cheerleaders sat at the Center Table during lunch. Colt sat next to Sam, even though he usually ate lunch outside, he had been staying with her as much as he could since her father's death. Taylor pushed aside her yogurt and cleared her throat. The cheerleaders looked up from their chatter to hear what she had to say. "So, of course all of us are going to Hector's party on Saturday, right?"

The cheerleaders and football players nodded in agreement. Hector's parties were always the best, and missing one would be like missing a month of school.

Taylor smiled. "That's great. My cousin Chelsea is coming in from NYU to visit me for the weekend, and she's bringing her friends from her sorority. I convinced her to check out Hector's party." An excited murmur spread throughout the table.

"She refused at first," Taylor continued. " She said that no lame high school party could compare to the monster bashes that her sorority throws. She told me that she didn't get her nickname, 'Chugs', for nothing. I told her that it would be worth it, so Hector," Taylor turned to face Hector, who sat at the end of the table. All eyes were on him. "Don't fuck it up, kay? I'll never live it down if Chugs thinks your party is lame." Taylor resumed eating, not even bothering to look up as the Center Table exploded in chatter.

Hector and Howard got up to throw their trays away. Hector grinned. "Can't believe that sorority chicks are actually coming to my party. My party. You believe that, Howard?"

Howard smiled and shook his head. "It's surreal, man."

Hector continued to talk excitedly. "I can't wait to get a good look at these babes. Wonder if this Chugs girl is a party animal."

Howard frowned. "Chill dude, you've got a girlfriend. Remember Amanda?"

Hector shook Howard off. "Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about it. Let's just see how hot this Chugs is, alright? Then we'll do the decision making." Hector winked as they sat back down at the table.

Jessica and Maria were just as excited as Hector for the sorority girls. Jessica popped an almond in her mouth. "This is totes amazing Maria, if these sorority chicks like us, we're in."

Maria looked confused. "But wouldn't we have to go to college at NYU to get into their sorority?"

Jessica grinned. "If I can get connections, you better believe that I'll be on the first plane to New York City, doll."

Sam took a swig from her water bottle and screwed the cap on tight. She put it away in her bag and took out the book she had been reading. It was called Tiger Eyes, and she was really into it. The pages were dog-eared and bent. Sam became so engrossed in reading, she didn't realize that Colt was talking to her until he tapped her on the shoulder. Sam looked up and saw Colt sitting next to her, staring at her. "What?"

"I was just saying that this party sounds like it's gonna be cool, we should check it out."

Sam shook her head. "I don't think I'm up to it. I'd rather just stay home. You can go." She looked back down at her book and continued to read.

Colt sighed and picked up his chocolate milk carton. God dammit, why do they make these things so hard to open?

Amanda rested her head on the table, drowning out the sounds of chatter from all around her. Hector's wild party sounded like the last thing she wanted to do. There were much bigger things on her mind, like her little issue. It had come back to haunt her again, only 2 weeks after it had made its debut. Only this time, what worried Amanda is how little regret she felt towards it. She had just gone out to eat with Hector, and she had eaten much more than she should have. She had felt bloated and disgusting and gross. Amanda had excused herself to go to the restroom, and had let it out there. It had been painless and afterwards, she felt almost…happy. She swallowed her breathmints and joined Hector again, acting as if it never happened.

She had binged again. Today during lunch. Amanda hadn't meant for it to happen, but it did. She had eaten as much as she could, and she could already feel her stomach gurgling. For now she would try to hold out, but if worst came to worst…

"Hey Chugs," Ben Miller called out from across the quad. He jogged toward Chugs, who as usual, held a metal water bottle in her hand. He finally reached her and spun her around with one of his strong, muscular arms, while she giggled. He grabbed the water bottle and took a long sip. When he finished, he handed it back to her and panted. "Damn Chugs, where do you get the booze?"

"You don't need to know, doll." Chugs cracked a smile and twirled her pin straight chestnut hair around her index finger.

"So you up for a party this Saturday? You know we throw the best." Ben grinned.

Chugs shook her head. "Nah, can't. I'm taking some of the Pi Phi sisters down to California for the weekend. My cousin's friend is throwing a party and I said we'd check it out."

Ben made a face. "A high school party? Come on, Chugs, you can't be serious." He crossed his arms.

Chugs shrugged. "I don't know, she said some of those parties can get pretty intense. And if it doesn't live up to my expectations..." Chugs grinned. "Let's just say I have a few ways to make it a little more interesting.