At last, Friday had arrived, and Claire waited excitedly for the end of school. Every Friday, she would be given a later shift, giving her some free time between school and work, and it allowed her to catch up with her friends' social lives. She sat with her friends at their usual lunch table and could hardly contain her excitement.

"So, what are you guys doing after school?" Claire asked, glancing at all of her friends.

Ann smirked and leaned her elbows on the table. "Well, in case you haven't heard –or Gray was too shy to talk about it— our family is throwing a party, and you all are invited." She grinned, her white teeth sparkling.

The table buzzed with excitement, and Claire's thoughts swirled. 'A party?' she thought. 'I don't really have anything to wear to that… Plus, I have work!' Disappointed, she sighed.

"Ah- I hate to say it, Ann, but I don't think I can go… I've got work later today, and I don't have anything to wear to the party anyways. I'm sorry." She cast her head down dejectedly.

Ann clicked her tongue and crossed her arms. "Oh, no you don't. You are definitely not getting out of this one. I told you I was going to take you to a beautiful party one day, and today is that day! I will personally call your work and tell you to excuse your absence, I swear to the goddess herself!"

"And you can borrow one of my dresses, Claire! I can do your hair and makeup, too!" Popuri reached across the table to grab Claire's hand. "Don't worry about it! I'll make you look amazing!"

Claire held her free hand up and shook her head, flustered. "Guys, I can't ask you to do that… It's too much!"

"Hardly! You need a day to relax anyways!" Ann smiled at her reassuringly.

"I don't think I can relax at a party full of rich people…" Claire muttered only loud enough for Gray to catch it. He leaned closer to her and whispered so only she could hear.

"Don't worry. I'll stick by your side the whole night if you want."

"Really?" Claire whispered back.

"Only if you want me to."

"That'd be great…" Claire sighed softly in relief. If Gray was with her, she'd be able to at least walk straight.

"Hey, quit whispering!" Ann whined. "I hate secrets, and you know that!"

Claire chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Alright, fine. I'll go to your party! Just, don't call my work. If they knew I was hanging out with such rich people, they'd treat me differently. I don't want my coworkers to hate me."

"Yes!" Ann and Popuri cheered. After that, the girls chatted excitedly about what they were going to wear later that day, and the guys moved over to a smaller table to have their own conversation.

"So, what were you saying to Claire-Bear that made her change her mind?" Kai asked Gray, the guys all huddled close and voices low.

Gray ignored the nickname and shrugged. "Nothing, really."

"Bullshit, man! C'mon, spill it. We're gonna be there anyways, so you might as well say it."

Gray sighed and gave in easily. "I just told her that I'd stick by her the whole night if she wanted me to."

"And what'd she say?" Cliff asked.

"…She said that it'd be great." Gray's cheeks tinted pink and he looked to the side in an attempt to hide his face. Kai slapped him on the back and laughed.

"Hey, man! This could be your chance!" Kai said. Gray just shook his head and fought off a smile.

Near the coffee cart, Skye looked over at Claire from his new circle of friends. They were talking about something rather enthusiastically, but he had been ignoring them for the most part, too busy looking at the intriguing student body president. However, he decided to listen in for once and reluctantly turned his attention from the blonde.

"I honestly can't wait. I haven't been to a party since two weekends ago, and it wasn't all that fun, to be quite honest." Karen complained.

"Karen, I invite you to my parties all the time!" Lumina said with furrowed brows.

"I know, dearest Lumina, but your parties always end up so… boring." Lumina rolled her eyes at Karen and turned to Skye. Her attitude changed completely when talking to him, it always seemed.

"So, Skye, are you going?" she asked, eyes hopeful.

"Hmm? To where, beautiful?" He wasn't going to hide the fact that he wasn't really paying attention.

"To Ann and Gray's party, of course! We all are going, and I hope you are, too."

'That's right…' Skye remembered. His father had said something about attending the party earlier that week. Something about good business… He mentally groaned, but put on a polite expression, nodding.

"I am, my dear. My family does business with theirs, so it's only natural that I go."

"Are you going with anyone, though?" Rock asked. "I mean, you've got to bring a hot date to a big party like this one! The press is gonna be all over the place."

Skye resisted glancing over at Claire and shrugged. "Most likely not. There's always plenty of ladies to dance with at the party, so I suppose I'll just take my turns with them." He smirked and Rock laughed, nodding. Lumina sighed and Karen gave her a sympathetic look, but didn't offer any more support than that. She wasn't the type to get involved with romantic affairs, anyways.

"I supposed we'll all see each other there, then, yes?" Lumina asked. Everyone nodded and began to disperse to their classes, the bell having rung. Skye lingered behind to cast one last glance at Claire. She would be at the party, wouldn't she? Skye wondered what her family dealt in as he walked away.

"A mysterious princess, she is… Perhaps I'll sweep her off her feet tonight." He muttered as he walked away, daydreaming about how she'd look in an evening gown with a hint of a smile.