Okay I got mixed responses for the previous chapter but most of them were positive if not curious. I feel good about what I have in store and I wouldn't have posted that little teaser if I wasn't completely positive about what I wanted to do. With that being said, you can look forward to the full story that will probably be half as long as our usual ML story lengths. Addressing some other point such as weddings concerning other couples, since I have his story already written, I am not going to rewrite it because it doesn't exactly match up with what one or two people may want. I take opinions that add on to what I have because that makes my writing better; emphasis on the fact the stories are mine…Anyhoo if I can I can do what I can, but I am sticking to the ideas I already have done. I hope you all like this next chapter of ML.

~Rolyn~

Chapter Thirty Six: Cultural

"The party is being held where?" Alex hissed cocking her head to the side. Samia's gaze darted elsewhere as the purple haired Dragonite girl stared her down with one of the most venomous glares the short girl could muster. "And you decided to tell us now, because?" Alex had her hands clenched into fists on the granite counter top of the kitchen island.

"Because I knew this is how you'd react," Samia stated with a single nod. Alex scoffed so suddenly that May who was sitting a little ways off in the booth nestled in the corner of the kitchen, jumped in her seat. Rolyn gave her a strange look over the top of the bridal magazine she had her nose tucked in.

"Putting off telling us wouldn't make anything better!" Alex said loudly. "Trust me, I think I'm a little more pissed than I would be had you told us like two weeks ago when you invited us to the party in the first place."

"Alex, it's not that big of a deal," Patou drawled with a roll of her eyes. The shortest Dragonite girl turned her narrowed bubblegum colored eyes on the blonde. Patou's eyes widened and she quickly turned away, pretending she had not inserted herself in the conversation at all. Apparently to Alex, this was a big deal.

"So what if the venue is Cochrane Regency? I heard that place is pretty fancy shmancy," Dawn giggled behind her hand. Out of all the girls, she was the most excited for the evening's events. They had not been to any major parties since Christmas and from today on, they would have their schedules packed with upcoming events.

"Are you listening to yourself?" Alex snapped. May jumped again and Rolyn rolled her eyes at the brunette before flipping a page in her magazine. "Cochrane Regency? Are you kidding me?" Alex threw her hands up in the air again. Samia sighed deeply.

"It's just a place that just happens to have Jasmine's last name on it," May interjected with a shake of her head. "And she doesn't even own the place, her father does and he's not such a bad guy; a little fake, but not a bad guy." May shrugged her shoulders.

"Yea, but actually having the party there donates to their wealth and I do not want to see anyone in that family prosper. The dad's a weirdo, the mother is a sociopath, and their daughter is a conniving little b…"

"We get it," Marina groaned with a roll of her eyes. Honestly, Alex was giving her a headache and the fact that she was hormonal didn't help either. Her ankles were getting sore and she was finding keeping herself conscious a chore. "It's not like Samia's parents are aware of our connection to the Cochrane family. The only thing they are ware of is that we have been to their house for dinner and we had an interview on the wife's show."

"But…" Alex began but a glare from Marina had her stamping her foot like a child. For the third time, May jumped in surprise at the sudden action. Rolyn pinched the bridge of her nose and set down her magazine. "Ugh! I just hate it."

"Deal with it," Samia sighed. "Not like I can change the party venue now…not when that place is beyond expensive anyways."

"Another reason you should have had the party elsewhere," Alex grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Should have – could have – would have…" Samia sang. Alex shot her a halfhearted glare at that point. Why glare full force when there was little the look could do at this point, but make her look like an angry gremlin? "I guess there aren't any more complaints about the venue?" There were grunts of disagreement and Samia smiled halfway.

"I'll have to call Drew and tell him to call the limousine company so they know where to go," Rolyn said as she pulled out her Dex from the back pocket of her skinny jeans.

"I already told Drew where the party was," Samia said quickly before Rolyn could shoot her brother the message. Rolyn perked a brow. "I knew the boys would react better…well, Jason's reaction was close to Alex's except not as exaggerated and angry. He looked more like a child." Samia laughed.

"He is a child," Patou chuckled with a roll of her eyes.

"Alright!" Dawn suddenly inserted while clapping her hands together to get everyone's attention. She beamed when all eyes turned on her. "Who is going to be first to have their hair and makeup done by the fabulous Dawn LeNoir?" she giggled as she struck a pose.

"We could learn a lesson in humility from you, Dawn," Rolyn said sarcastically with a blank look.

"I guess I'll go first…" Marina sighed raising her hand. "I know if I don't do it now, I won't be up to it later." The aqua haired beauty shuffled out the kitchen with a bored look on her face. Dawn pranced after her, saying she would text them all to see who was next once she was done with Marina.

"Jeez…this hormonal stuff is really turning Marina into a downer…" Alex grumbled under her breath.

"She's pregnant. She can be as much of a downer as she likes," Patou retorted. Alex shrugged her shoulders carelessly.

"Well, I better head out," Samia sighed as she stood up straight and picked up her purse that was seated on the counter top in front of her.

"Why?" May asked, cocking her head to the side.

"As much as I would love to have my hair and makeup done by the fabulous Dawn LeNoir, I can't. My mom wants her friend to do it so I guess I will see you all later," Samia explained. May nodded in understanding.

"Bye Sam!" Patou called just as Samia exited the kitchen.

There was silence hanging among the remaining four girls in the kitchen until Alex groaned. "I cannot believe where she is having this party! Can you guys believe it!? Cuz I just can't…"

Rolyn, Patou, and May all slapped their foreheads.

"Whoa…" Rolyn gasped as her eyes widened. She spun in a slow circle, taking in the extravagancy that was the massive party room where Samia's eighteenth birthday was being held. It was easily understood why the younger girl's parents would choose this as the place to celebrate their daughter's coming of age. Everything represented luxury from the golden carpet that surrounded a crystal infused marble dance floor to the intricately designed silver chandeliers that had tinkling crystals handing from them.

In spite of the how near perfect the venue was, it wasn't just those physical details that had all the Untouchables in complete awe. It was the way the entire place was decorated. It wasn't like none of them had seen a decorated room before; everything was pretty generic minus for the silk table clothes embroidered with intricate designs that resembled designs typically found on a saree. Everything was over the top representing the culture they lived in along with the one Samia likely grew up in. Even the people were decorated with spendthrift clothing of different styles.

"Talk about culture shock…" Alex grumbled with a slightly lopsided smile as she placed her hands on her hips. Her saree moved with her, but still brushed the floor lightly even though it was draped over her shoulder. The rest of Dragonite had the same situation with their own state of dress, nevertheless they looked absolute stunning. They, at least, didn't look as awkward as the six boys that were shifting and fidgeting in their dhoti and matching pants.

Dawn had decided to put up all of their hair in some way. Half of the girls had side ponytails while the other three had half up – half down styles. Rolyn, Patou, and Alex all had their hair in side ponytails since they were the three with the longest hair…for Alex this was a bit surprise for May because when she first met the purple haired girl, Alex had the shortest hair and was completely proud of it. All in all, May still found the shortest of the Dragonites gorgeous.

All of their jewelry was exaggerated and bold. The earrings were all chandeliers and heavy. The bracelets were all bangles of varying thickness and color. The necklaces were all thick and sat on each girl's collars perfectly. They had done up quite well for the occasion and they didn't stand out in the slightest…minus for the fact that they were practically the only ones there that didn't look related to Samia.

"Hey guys,"

"Ezra!" Dawn squealed, throwing her hands in the air. Out of all the Untouchables, Dawn along with Jimmy were the most familiar with the former star quarterback of Pokemon Master's Academy mainly because Jimmy was on the team with him and Dawn was a cheerleader who loved associating herself with the actual football team rather than her cheer squad.

The navy haired girl dove at the hazel eyed boy, being mindful of her clothing as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a friendly hug. They all barely got to see the boy, but Dawn was the only one who would over exaggerate how much she missed the guy, despite their differences in high school. High school didn't matter now anyways.

Ezra smiled as he bent down a bit to give the girl a hug. He was a tall guy and well-built from years of football. He was attending university on a football scholarship. May found it funny because Ezra was at least a couple of inches taller than Jason, the second tallest guy May regularly associated with and Samia was such a small thing. It was almost like Aden and Alex but Aden was just…the guy was a tree in a past life, the brunette was sure of it.

"Glad you guys could make it," Ezra said with a smile. "I have been feeling absolutely out of the loop since ninety percent of these people are related to Samia," He murmured.

"It's better to get in with the family now," Jimmy joked with a lopsided smile. Ezra laughed lightly and nodded.

"I guess…but still, it's good to see all of you," He said genuinely. May couldn't help but smile. Ezra was a really great guy. He reminded her a lot of Jimmy which was why she found it so easy to be around him and call him a friend. She was glad Samia had a guy like him in her life.

"Where is Samia?" Marina asked, raising her hand like a child in school. It wasn't a gesture she'd normally do but she's been out of character as of lately as her pregnancy progressed.

"Oh, she'll be out soon. I'm actually supposed to escort her," Ezra blushed lightly and scratched the bridge of his nose.

"Aww…" Most of the girl's cooed together. Ezra's blush deepened.

"I better go actually, she's probably wondering where I am." He gave them one last kind smile before going on his way. He exited the party hall completely and went into another corridor. He knocked on the first door he found and the door cracked open a smidge as someone peaked out. Ezra perked a brow and Samia swung the door open completely.

His brow shot up and Samia shifted her weight to one foot as she watched him basically stare her down. Out of all the saree present in the party, hers seemed the most beautiful with simple, yet dazzling designs that looked perfect on her. The color, a simple peach, complimented her wonderfully and her transparent headpiece faded to red the further it got to the floor. All of her jewelry was gold and ornate and resting on her forehead was what Samia once called a Tip. It had rubies in it that sparkled with the slightest move of her head.

"Wow you look…"Ezra trailed off, unable to come up with the right words to describe how absolutely gorgeous she looked to him. He found himself blushing again and Samia cracked a slightly nervous smile. "Wow…" He just repeated. Now it was Samia's turn to blush.

"Thanks…" She murmured glancing down at her state of dress. "You look pretty dashing too in your Sherwani suit." She added as she gestured to him.

"My what?" Ezra's brow furrowed as he glanced down at his clothes. "Is that what this is called?"

Samia couldn't help but laugh. "Even while completely ignorant, you still such a charmer," She joked with a slight tilt of her head as her smile broadened, losing it's nervousness. Ezra laughed with a shrug.

"Hey, I'm not used to this kind of stuff. I'm from Hoenn," He reminded her. Samia nodded in understanding. Hoenn was a long ways off from the Rupak region which was where Samia's family hailed from. "I have to say though I like everything. It's all really cool."

"I'm glad you approve," Samia said with a nod. "So is it time for me to make my entrance?"

"I believe so," Ezra said mimicking her nod with a lopsided smile as he offered her his arm. "By the way…I'm glad you wanted me to escort you."

Samia rolled her eyes playfully as she linked their arms, being mindful of the way her saree draped. "Who else would I have picked? My other boyfriend?"

Ezra perked a brow. Samia scoffed.

"Are you kidding me!?" She groaned at him.

"Yes I am, because I know I'm your one, and only just as much as you are mine." A ghost of a smirk was on his lips as he watched the girl pout lightly. On impulse, he leaned down and captured those pouty lips in a tender kiss that Samia thought to return just as he pulled away, his smirk broadening. "Well, shall we?"

"You're supposed to lead the way," She retorted. Ezra merely nodded and guided her the way he had come. They waited just outside the entrance to the grand hall as one of the waiters for the night went inside to inform whoever needed to know that it was time for Samia's entrance.

Once the live band struck up and the lights dimmed a bit minus for the lights by the entrance of the massive hall, everyone hushed their talking to focus on the girl of the hour. Dawn gasped loudly, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. Marina was able to voice the navy haired girl's thoughts before Dawn could get over her initial surprise.

"She looks gorgeous…" The oldest Dragonite breathed, cocking her head to the side. There were multiple forms of agreement from her fellow Dragonites…and Aden. They all admired their friend with smiles as they watched Ezra guide her to her waiting father. Dawn squealed when Ezra leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek before handing her off to her father who did the same.

The party didn't really pick up until the hired DJ appeared out of nowhere and encouraged people to gather on the dance floor to dance. All the songs mixed and played were of Samia's tastes and the current one that Dawn and Alex were dancing to was the upbeat Die Young. It was no surprise to see the two girls dancing together rather than their respective boyfriends who stood off awkwardly to the side. Usually Aden would be too busy behind the DJ table to care, but since he wasn't the choice of music mixer for the evening he was stuck with watching from the sidelines.

Alex and Dawn received a lot of attention as they slinked and twirled around each other. At one point, they pulled Samia from dancing with Ezra without any remorse and danced around her with refined moves that only came from years of practice. Samia couldn't help but cease dancing herself to watch and laugh at the pair who were attracting the attention of her family. Dawn giggled as she took Samia's hand and twirled her before she was passed to Alex who dipped her. Samia yelped in surprise as Alex brought her back up.

"Okay…" Samia laughed as she slowly flitted away from the pair. When they danced, they did it like their lives depended on it. She'd rather not be caught between the two for much longer. She decided to approach Ezra once again who was talking with Jason, Rolyn, Ian, and Drew. She knew May was off dancing with Patou somewhere while Jimmy remained back at the table with Marina as she engorged on the multitudes of food she piled on her plate.

"Baby!" Jason exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air before grabbing Samia in a vice grip and pulling her into him. She made a small noise of surprise as he held her tightly and pressed a long kiss to her cheek. Ezra perked a brow, his expression going blank, but Rolyn simply rolled her eyes, being used to Jason's eccentric and affectionate behavior. "Happy Birthday, sweetie." He smirked down at the shorter girl and Samia smiled.

"Thank you,"

"You wanna know what I got you?" Jason asked, his smirk growing. Samia forced her own smile while shaking her head. She could only imagine what the blatant pervert had decided to offer her as a gift. The look he was giving her wasn't easing her mind either.

"I'd rather be surprised…but if it's something that has to do with sex…"

"Oh, it better not," Rolyn interjected with one of her sassy neck rolls. Jason beamed at her and released Samia to wrap his arms around her. Rolyn pursed her lips as Jason buried his face in her neck, planting kisses there. Ezra took Samia's newfound freedom as the chance to wrap an arm around her waist.

On the dance floor, Patou and May had made their way towards Alex and Dawn. The professional dancing pair decided to take a break from showing off to enjoy some relaxed dancing with more of their friends. It wasn't until May was bumped into that everyone paused. May had whipped around, already beginning her apology, but all words died on her lips when she noticed just who had bumped into her.

"Jasmine?" May's squeal could be heard over the thumping bass of the music and her three dancing partners all stared with identical shocked gazes and the bleach blonde smirked with Marissa by her side looking as gruff as always with her mouth twisted to the side in distaste.

"Oh hey…" Jasmine drawled with a slow wave that consisted of her wiggling her fingers.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Alex hissed coming up beside May. She gripped the brunette's shoulder reassuringly and May's wide eyes slowly narrowed. "This is a private party."

"That I was invited to," Jasmine retorted, placing her hands on her hips and leaning towards the purple haired Dragonite girl. Alex sneered, her grip on May's shoulder tightening. "As you must know, my family owns this place, plus my father is the mayor and…"

"Get to the point," Patou deadpanned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"My family was invited by Samara's parents," Jasmine clarified.

"You mean Samia?" Dawn corrected.

"Whatever…" Jasmine said flippantly with a roll of her eyes. May seethed at how rude the girl could be…it wasn't exactly unexpected, but she just could not tolerate Jasmine's attitude, especially here in the last place she expected the girl to be.

"If your family was invited, why is the tomato with you?" Alex questioned, gesturing to Marissa. The quip at the girl's bright red hair had her scoffing as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her glare turned icy as she sized up the shortest of the Dragonite girls.

"Marissa is my plus one." Jasmine said with a smirk. Alex growled.

"C'mon guys, let's just keep dancing," May said quickly as she turned away from the pair. It was Jasmine's boisterous, unnecessarily loud cackle that made the brunette pause and turn back towards the lanky girl.

"You call all the flailing you were doing dancing?" Jasmine snorted with a shake of her head. "Why not spare yourself the embarrassment and just take a seat with your knocked up friend."

"That's it!" Alex growled, lifting her fist. Dawn quickly grabbed the fist and pulled Alex back.

"Who are you to judge?" Dawn inserted quickly, taking a step in front of Alex.

"Oh please, Marissa and I have been practicing every technique of dance since I was seven," Jasmine bragged with a flip of her hair.

"Alex and Dawn have you beat by three years," May inserted with a slight smile. Jasmine sent her a dirty look, but her smile didn't falter.

"As if some extra years could help them," Marissa murmured, more to Jasmine than anyone else. Said bleach blonde laughed too loud and offered her hand towards the red head for a high-five that was more of a tap of their finger. May couldn't help but roll her eyes. They were like stereotypical mean girls.

"If you're so sure of yourself, then let's see who the better dancer is," Alex snapped, her pink eyes flashing dangerously. Jasmine glanced back at Marissa who was smirking too evilly for May's liking. Jasmine smirked along with her and nodded once.

"Okay, us against you and the Energizer bunny," Jasmine said with a nod towards Dawn. The navy haired girl scoffed, clenching her hands into fists at her sides. Jasmine laughed behind closed lips as she began to saunter towards the middle of the dance floor with Marissa on her heels. Alex didn't hesitate to follow, dragging Dawn along with her. May and Patou exchanged a look before heading over to the side where the rest of their friends were.

"Hey, what's going on?" Samia asked as she gestured towards the middle of the dance floor where the two pairs of girls looked ready to face off.

"A…dance battle?" May laughed awkwardly with a shrug.

"Is that Jasmine?" Rolyn hissed, her eyes narrowing.

"Did I fail to mention that my mother invited her and her family at the last minute?" Samia laughed nervously. Rolyn gave her a blank look and Samia shrugged.

"Are they really going to have a dance battle…seriously?" Ian deadpanned with a shake of his head.

"Seriously…" Drew sighed crossing his arms over his chest.

"This should be interesting…" Ezra murmured to Samia. The short girl simply nodded as a new song started up and Jasmine and Marissa stepped forward, obviously moving to dance first.

"Are you sure that you up for this? Do you think you can handle it?" Jasmine smirked as she sang and twirled her hands over her head while rocking her hips from side to side. "It's complicated. You might get frustrated."

"We got the moves that ya never seen. Let me show you just what I mean," Marissa twirled up next to Jasmine and the crouched down slowly before snapping back up and whipping their hair. "There's really no chance, that you can do our dance."

"Can't keep up, can't keep up, no? Try to keep, try to keep up, yea." As Marissa and Jasmine sang and decided to dance circles around Dawn and Alex, the aforementioned pair shared blank looks while they had their arms crossed. "Can't keep up, can't keep up, no?"

"Try to follow; watch me, if you think that you know then dance me," Jasmine and Marissa struck poses as they ended up back to back once again. Dawn slapped a hand to her mouth to stifle her giggles. While the two of them had good execution, some of their moves were simple. A beginner could do them. "Dance me if you can."

"Get it together or fall apart," Alex sang at them before pursing her lips.

"If you think it's not that hard, then dance me," Jasmine slunk her way around Marissa before sliding right up to Dawn who immediately ceased her light laughing. Jasmine size her up and the navy haired girl blinked multiple times. "Dance me if you can…"

Alex glanced at Dawn as Jasmine took a few steps back to rejoin Marissa, a smug look on her face. Dawn smiled brightly and nodded once. They turned towards each other and in smooth synchronization, did a flurry of foot movements that had some spectators gasping in awe. What was best about the pair and their dancing was that they didn't stick to one style. They moved from a salsa to hip hop in an instant.

"I know that you think that you're in control, but watch and learn cuz this is how we roll," Alex sang as Dawn took a step back and allowed Alex to dance on her own. In her flats the purple haired girl got up on her toes before lifting her leg and spinning with the skill of a professional ballerina. "Work it just like this; let's see you try to do that." Alex stuck out her tongue as she did a releve that went right into a sharp rond de jambe.

"She really is a ballerina…" Samia murmured.

"You doubted she was?" May questioned with a smile.

"Can you blame me?"

"What's the matter? Can't you figure it out? Cuz you look confused, mixed up, no doubt." Dawn stepped forward and did a contemporary piece that had her saree whipping around her with her multiple spins. "There's really no chance that you can do our dance." Dawn whipped her hair and smirked as she jumped, reaching back and touching her heels before landing on the ground in front of Marissa and Jasmine. The crowd's verbal response was enough to make Jasmine scowl.

"Can't keep up, can't keep up, no? Try to keep up, try to keep up, yea." Alex and Dawn harmonized far better than Jasmine and Marissa as they went into a jive that had Marina giggling and wolf whistling from their table. "Can't keep up, can't keep up, no? Oh, oh c'mon, c'mon," The pair smirked as they interlocked arms and Alex did a flip over Dawn's back.

"Look at my parents' faces…" Samia chuckled as she pointed towards her parents who were watching with mouths agape and eyes wide. Sitting at a nearby table, Samia's Grandmother was grinning widely as she nodded with the music and clapped enthusiastically.

"Try to follow; watch me, no, if you think that you know how, then dance me," Alex and Dawn too each other's hands and began to mockingly tango as though they didn't even need to go all out against these other two girls. "Dance me if you can."

"Get together or fall apart!" Jasmine hissed rather than sang.

"If you think it's not that hard, then dance me," Alex and Dawn went back to back and mimicked Jasmine and Marissa's little snap back and hair whip. Jasmine groaned and stamped her foot like a child as they received wolf whistles from their friends. "Dance me if you can."

Jasmine glanced at Marissa and they silently agreed they needed to do something. Alex and Dawn took a step back briefly as Jasmine began to dip and roll her body in a manner that had parents covering the eyes of Samia's younger cousins. Marissa started doing the same and Alex scoffed as they started moving in unison.

Ian chuckled and shook his head. "This is becoming embarrassing." He managed to get through his light laughter.

"I'm recording it and putting it on MewTube," Jason said as he held up his dex and continued to videotape the spectacle. "I shall title it, 'Mean Girls Get Pwned'." Jason smirked and lifted his hand. Ian immediately gave him a high five as his laughter became more open.

"Make it stop!" Rolyn laughed with a shake of her head.

"Try to follow watch me now," Jasmine sang as she lifted her hands over her head, dragging her hair with them in an attempt to be sensual.

"If you think that you know how," Dawn sang back as she wound her hips in a circle. She resembled a hula dancer as she twisted her wrists. "Then dance me, dance me if you can."

"Get together or fall apart," Alex sang as she did intricate hand movements before slumping like she was a toy that had just gotten turned off. Dawn poked her lower back with a giggle and began moving again. "If you think it's not that hard, then dance me, dance me if you can."

Dawn gave Alex a brief look before they both got up on their toes while lifting one leg and hold the foot as they began to spin. "Dance me if you can…" They both jumped down into their final pose, breathing a little heavily but smirking nonetheless.

With the song now over, the crowd assembled broke into applause as they began to point at and congratulate Dawn and Alex who had obviously won this fight. Dawn squealed and wrapped her arms around Alex's waist in a hug. Alex made a gagging noise as she was lifted off the ground. The rest of the Dragonite girls approached them congratulating their friends on an inevitable victory.

"I believe the proper phrase for right now is…" May trailed off.

"You got served!" Patou, Samia, and Rolyn chanted pointing at Jasmine and Marissa before busting out into hysterical laughter. Jasmine made a noise that sounded like a cross between a loud high pitched shriek and a groan as she grabbed Marissa's hand and dragged her off as quickly as humanely as possible.

"You guys did great," May complimented as she joined in on Alex and Dawn's hug.

"Yea, thanks for making my party a memorable one," Samia laughed with a single nod.

"And I got it all on video," Jason said with a smirk.

"Good, because I wanna watch as I totally whipped the floor with those bimbos," Alex said before breaking into maniacal laughter.

"Okay calm down," Aden laughed lightly placing a hand on the small of her back.

Holy nuggets that was…well it was interesting. That was the first time I ever written out dance and I mostly used stuff that I remember from my own dance class(for Dawn and Alex of course). We like to mix a lot of styles into one ALL the time. The last big number I did was a combination of Hip Hop, ballet and contemporary. My favorite move is a releve (a move where you go up on your toes)…a simple little move but I find it cute. Anyhow, I hope you all got a little laugh out of this like I did. It was a fun write.

Feedback would be excellent.

~Rolyn~