For Better Or Worse

by Luna0603

Sequel to Tied Together With A Smile. Mike and El are happily back together, and the party is split up for college. Follow the whole party through new heartbreaks, celebrations, surprises, love, death, and more. Mileven is the focal ship, but all party members are featured and multiple ships will be included. Warning: Smut.

8. Chapter 8

A/N: Hello everyone! I realize it has been nearly a month since I've updated this. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays to any holiday that you may have celebrated. I have been working on this chapter for about three weeks, and I finally have this mammoth of a chapter as an end result (over 15,000 words!). I really hope you guys like it. I put a lot of thought into the format of it, and I hope that you feel like we move in and out of the different storylines seamlessly instead of it feeling like we're bouncing all over the place. I also tested positive for Covid-19 last week and have been fighting that and feeling generally like garbage for a week. Thank you all for your patience, and I really hope you like this chapter. Please remember to leave a review with your thoughts!

TW: Homophobic slur

TW: Drug use

JAX001993: I'm glad you liked it! Max definitely has a way to go with realizing the role Mike plays in El's life. I hope you like this chapter!

Jbg: Yes, I'm very particular about the way I word things ;-) I really appreciate you touching on each character's story. There is a lot to come for Max and Lucas individually, and it is a long story. Plenty of time for Lumax to potentially rekindle. I'm glad a long chapter of Halloween parties sounds good to you, because that is exactly what this is! I hope you like it!

Longislandgirl88: Thank you so much! I hope you like this chapter as well.

WaywardDrifter: I have so many thoughts about your review, but let me start by saying I am flattered that you as a Byler shipper like my stories (or are even reading them!). I'm glad you enjoyed TTWAS and are liking this one so far (kudos to you for bingeing them… that's a lot of reading lol). I'm really glad you like my OC's. I also agree completely about Will. He deserves better hair and more screentime. Season 4 has a lot of expectations to meet lol. My favorite individual character in the show is Dustin, but my favorite ship and basically my favorite thing in general is Mileven, but my goal with this story as a followup to TTWAS was to give adequate focus and development to every party member. I really hope you like it!

Shrike176: I'm glad you enjoyed Will's coming out. I hoped I made it realistic. Writing cute little Mileven moments with no drama where they can simply be happy together is my favorite, honestly. You're definitely on to something with the direction of Max's story. I hope you like this chapter!

Darkstrife77: I'm glad you like long chapters and that you're willing to wait for them! I do promise that I will never abandon a story that I start. I know the pain of becoming invested in abandoned stories as well. As for ripping my readers apart, there will definitely be a wide range of emotions, including heartbreak, but the topics I'm going to cover and the types of heartbreak are going to be so different from TTWAS. I really hope you enjoy it all!

Wolfgp: I'm glad you liked it and that you enjoy the longer chapters. Mike and El's future will definitely be moving along, and I'm glad you found their discussion in character. You will get to see Will coming out to everyone else soon, so I hope you like that just as much as him coming out to Mike and El. There is definitely a lot more to come for each of our characters, and I can't wait to hear what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own Stranger Things or any of its characters.

0-0-0

The next Saturday night, college students everywhere were preparing for what would be the biggest night of parties so far in the semester. Halloween weekend was bigger than move-in weekend, homecoming weekend, or any home football game. Everyone was dressing up and going out; even people in her hall that El knew typically were not big socializers were donning costumes.

In her own room, El and Mike were getting ready, dressing themselves in the costumes they had bought the previous weekend.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into going as some Disney prince," Mike huffed as he finished buttoning his white shirt.

"Well, it was either that or we would've had to go as Ninja Turtles," El reminded him as she adjusted the long red wig on her head. "And would you rather spend the night with me dressed as a Ninja Turtle, or this?"

When she turned to face him, Mike nearly choked. The red locks from the wig flowed over her bare shoulders and down to the middle of her back. She was wearing a purple clamshell bra which had been designed with surprisingly enough coverage that she was not spilling out of it, which made both El and Mike more comfortable about the whole thing. Her stomach was bare, but an inch below her bellybutton began the tight green pencil skirt that was to mimic a mermaid tail.

"This. Definitely this," Mike said, looking her up and down.

When they had arrived at the store the previous weekend to shop for Halloween costumes, the selection had been picked over, leaving very few options. El had been set on the two of them finding costumes that went together, and the only couples costumes she found in the proper sizes were Princess Ariel and Prince Eric from an upcoming Disney movie. They had seen trailers for the movie that was coming out in about three weeks, and Mike knew he had no interest in it. But, knowing how important it was to El that they dressed up together, along with knowing how hot she would look in the costume, made it pretty easy for Mike to be talked into it.

"That's what I thought," El smiled.

Then there was a knock on El's door. She opened it to see Bethany and Cam dressed as Danny and Sandy from Grease. Bethany was wearing skintight black leather pants and an off-the-shoulder black top, exposing her midriff, like Sandy wore in the final sequence of the movie. Bethany's blonde hair was teased but much longer than Sandy's, draping over her shoulders. Cam was dressed in black jeans, a black shirt, and a black leather jacket with the T-Birds name and logo on the back. His blonde hair was styled with gel to mimic Danny's hairstyle, and even though Cam's hair was blonde instead of dark brown, he was unmistakably dressed as Danny.

"You guys look fantastic," El said.

"Thanks! So do you. Is this from that new mermaid movie coming out?" Bethany asked.

"Yeah," El nodded. "It was basically all the store had left."

"I kind of thought it was a little weird to sexualize a kids movie with costumes like this, but," Mike grinned and playfully looked El up and down.

"Got over that pretty quickly, huh?" Cam laughed.

"Okay, well we should get going. Where are we meeting up with your brother?" Bethany asked.

"Outside the student union," El replied.

The four of them left El's room and soon were stepping into the cool October evening air.

Will and Adam were also on their way to the student union to meet up with the others. Part of him was excited, but Will would be lying if he said he didn't have reservations about tonight. It was his and Adam's first time actually attending an event in public together. Luckily, Mike and El had reacted well to the news and were more accepting than Will ever could have hoped. However, strangers were not always so kind. Will was definitely worried about appearing too much as a couple with Adam in front of the wrong people and facing some type of bullying. He didn't want that. He wanted an enjoyable night with his boyfriend, his best friend, and his sister, and Will hoped that is what he would get.

Adam understood Will's concerns. He had even offered that he and Will stay home from the party and just have a movie night. Will had briefly considered it but decided ultimately that he did not want to keep hiding. He just hoped he wasn't making a mistake and putting himself or Adam in harm's way.

The two of them had gone costume shopping with Mike and El, and Adam fully supported their purchase of the royal couple from The Little Mermaid. None of them intended to see the movie, but Adam thought that Mike and El would look cute together and that Mike's hair was the perfect color and length to portray Prince Eric. Will had had less of an opinion on whatever coupley costumes Mike and El decided on – though he had pursed his lips a little at his sister's decision to wear a pencil skirt and clamshell bra in public – and was more focused on what he and Adam could wear.

He and Adam wanted to wear costumes from the same franchise, and Will was comfortable with the idea because he knew male friends wore matching costumes all the time. It would likely not draw any unwanted attention their way or make them prone to homophobic bullying. They ultimately decided to go as Batman and the Joker, Will dressing as the Caped Crusader and Adam as his arch nemesis.

"You're sure you want to go? It's not too late to change our plans. We can have a horror movie marathon instead," Adam offered, and Will looked over to offer an appreciative smile.

"I want to go," he said decidedly. "I think it will be fun."

"Okay," Adam nodded. "We can always leave if you don't like it."

"I'll be fine," Will replied.

They reached the student union, and soon they were joined by Mike, El, Bethany, and Cam. After commenting on how great everyone's costumes looked, the six of them were on their way.

It wasn't a far walk, only about fifteen minutes. El stumbled once in the green high heels she was wearing and grabbed onto Mike's arm to steady her.

"Easy there, Princess," Mike grinned as she steadied herself. "How are you going to make the walk home in those heels tonight after a few drinks?"

"Maybe my prince will be so kind as to carry me," El replied, blinking her long lashes innocently.

Will shook his head and looked over at Adam.

"You get used to hearing stuff like that. Eventually, you'll stop wanting to gag," Will said, and Adam chuckled.

Soon, they arrived at a two-story house with the front porch covered in strands of orange lights and fake spider webs.

"Whose house is this?" El asked Bethany, noting there were no Greek letters, so it must not have been a fraternity house.

"Jake's friend Paul and some of Paul's buddies live here. I think four or five guys rent it together," Bethany replied.

They went inside and were greeted with the loud sound of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" blaring through the speakers. Inside, the house was decorated with the same orange lights as the porch. All the lamps and overhead lighting in the house was turned off, so the orange glow from the doorways, fireplace mantle, and banister illuminated the otherwise dark house. Dozens of their peers were already drinking and dancing the night away dressed as characters from any and everything that had been made popular thus far.

In the dining room, there was a keg, and some guy El didn't recognize who was dressed in a toga was being propped upside down over it, chugging from the nozzle. El immediately thought of Max being so proud of her own kegstand, and El felt the familiar pang of sadness that revisited her every now and then when she was reminded that she and Max had not spoken in so long.

Behind the couch in the living room, a beer pong table was set up, and there was a whiteboard with the teams listed who were waiting their turn.

"Let's go put ourselves on the list," Cam said and pulled Bethany toward the living room without waiting for an answer.

"Do you have any interest in beer pong tonight?" Mike asked, a slight smile on his lips as he remembered the only time he had ever seen El play beer pong at Steve Harrington's house on New Year's Eve when they were still broken up.

"We'll see," El shrugged. "Let's go get a drink, though."

Mike nodded and let El take his hand and lead him down the hallway to where they only assumed the kitchen could be. In the kitchen, people seemed calmer. Many were standing around the room talking amongst one another with cups in their hands. Mike and El approached the counter where the punchbowl was, Adam and Will right behind them.

"Why is it green?" Will asked over El's shoulder, turning his nose up in disgust at the communal liquid.

El did not have an answer for her brother but pulled two plastic cups from the top of the stack next to the bowl and filled one for herself and one for Mike. Will and Adam each filled a cup themselves, and the four of them stepped to the side of the kitchen. Mike watched El carefully as she held the cup up to her nose to breathe in the scent of the liquid and scrunched up her nose.

"It's not that bad," Adam said, licking his lips after taking a sip.

The others followed suit, Will cringing at the taste, and both Mike and El showing only mild distaste for the drink.

"It's okay," El shrugged. She had definitely had better.

Suddenly, Adam heard a familiar voice call his name, and he turned around to see someone he knew from one of his classes. Adam excused himself from Mike and El and went to talk to his other friend, Will following along after hesitating for a moment.

Mike and El returned to the living room each with their drink in their hand. Soon, Bethany and Cam rejoined them carrying four shot glasses. El took a whiff of the dark liquid before raising it to clink against Bethany's. The four of them took the shots, and El immediately chased it with the liquid in her cup.

She started to feel herself loosen up, and after another shot and being on her second cup of the drink from the punchbowl in the kitchen, El decided to slow down. The feeling of being drunk was not new to her anymore, but she still did not want to get carried away so early. She was a lot more comfortable having Mike with her, too.

Mike was not leaving her side, and after El finished her second cup, he put hers in his empty cup and placed them on the mantle. It wasn't long before Cam showed up with four more drinks, one for each himself, Bethany, Mike, and El. El took it politely and gave Mike a look that said she was still going to slow down and nurse this drink.

"Hey! You guys made it!" came a familiar voice that was louder than usual.

El turned to see Jake, dressed as a Viking with the hat placed atop his red hair, and his chiseled chest bare other than the knot of his cape that was tied in front of his neck.

"Danny and Sandy, solid choice," Jake nodded his approval at Bethany and Cam, then he turned to look at El. "I don't think we've met."

"You remember El," Bethany said, and Jake's eyes widened considerably.

"Shit!" he exclaimed. "Must not recognize you with the red hair or something… Nice costume. You look hot as hell."

"She is beautiful," Mike said, placing his hand on El's waist and pulling her close to his side.

"I'm not tryin' to step on any toes, man," Jake said, raising his hands in innocence. "Why don't we all take a shot together."

Jake hurried to the kitchen and back, returning with five small plastic cups filled with red jello. He passed out the jello shots, and the five of them clinked the plastic rims together before tossing their heads back to take the shots.

When they were finished, Jake offered to collect the empty jello shot cups, and he looked impressively at El's, raising his eyebrows and nodding.

"You got every last bit of jello out of there," Jake said and then looked suggestively at Mike and nudged his arm. "She pretty talented with her tongue?"

"Alright, that's enough," Mike said, stepping fully between El and Jake to block his girlfriend from Jake's view.

"Chill, bro. I'm just messing around," Jake said, raising his hands up again. "You all enjoy the party."

When Jake walked away, Mike turned around to face El, and she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest.

"Are you okay?" he murmured against her hair, and El nodded.

"Sorry about that," Cam said as he and Bethany stepped closer. "Jake's a really good guy, he just acts stupid sometimes and says some dumb shit. He's harmless, though."

"It's okay," El said with a shrug, though she squeezed her arms tighter around Mike.

"It's true," Bethany nodded. "I wouldn't hang around him if he wasn't harmless. He just says some douchey stuff sometimes."

"Really, it's okay," El insisted.

"Alright, well we're gonna go get some more drinks," Bethany said before grabbing Cam's hand and walking toward the kitchen again.

When they were alone, Mike placed a finger under El's chin and lifted her face to look up at him.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked gently.

"Yeah," El nodded. "He is usually a cool guy. He was just drunk and stupid."

"Okay," Mike said, relieved. "You know, he was right about one thing. You are hot as hell."

"Oh yeah?" El asked, the corners of her lips tugging up into a suggestive grin as she unclasped her arms from around Mike's waist and placed her hands on his chest.

"Fuck yeah, you are," Mike breathed, his eyes glancing down to El's chest that was covered in purple clamshells and then back up to her hazel eyes.

She innocently bit her bottom lip, and then Mike leaned in to kiss her, the taste of all the different types of liquor they had both had mixing between their mouths. They didn't notice when Bethany returned with more drinks and placed theirs on the mantle next to where they were getting lost in each other.

In Kalamazoo, Dustin and Sam had arrived at the apartment of Sam's friend's brother. Dustin was prepared to know nobody there other than Sam, and he viewed it as the perfect opportunity to make some new friends and maybe meet some new female prospects.

The apartment was sort of crowded but mainly casual. It was nothing like the college parties that Dustin had seen in movies or that he was sure Lucas had experienced being part of his university's football team. The first difference was that it was explained to them as BYOB, so Dustin and Sam had given money to Sam's friend's older brother to buy them some booze ahead of time. When they got there, everyone was sitting around casually talking while Halloween music played in the background.

"Your stuff's in the fridge," they were told by someone Dustin didn't recognize.

Sam explained as the two of them walked into the kitchen that that had been his friend's brother Johnny who had bought them the alcohol.

Dustin and Sam each took a beer out of the fridge that they knew was purchased for them and then rejoined everyone else in the living room. Sam found his friend who invited him to this party, and he and Dustin joined him on the couch.

"Hey, this is my roommate Dustin. Dustin, this is my buddy Chris," Sam introduced them.

"Nice to meet you, man," Dustin said, shaking Chris's hand.

"You too," Chris said. "You having a good time so far?"

"Yeah. I mean, we just got here, but it seems pretty chill," Dustin said, looking around.

"Dustin's kind of on the prowl tonight, trying to get over a bitter ex," Sam said, taking a swig of his beer.

"I've been there," Chris said knowingly. "Girls can be heartless, that's for sure."

"It's complicated," Dustin shrugged and took a drink of his own beer.

As he looked around the apartment, suddenly his eyes fell on one of the prettiest girls he thought he'd ever seen. He knew he really found her attractive, too, because he was only halfway done with one beer, so it couldn't have been influenced by the booze. She was standing in the doorway between the living room and kitchen, talking to a friend who Dustin assumed she came to the party with. Dustin found it hard to look away from her bright smile, but he did long enough to see what she was wearing to the party.

"You see someone you like?" Sam asked from next to him, startling Dustin.

"You tell me," Dustin said and nodded his head in the direction of the girl.

"Well, shit. Go for it," Sam encouraged him.

"How do I know she'll like me?" Dustin asked, suddenly feeling childish for his question.

"Well, the fact that her costume goes right along with yours is a pretty good starting point," Sam pointed out.

The girl that Dustin was watching was dressed in a floor-length, form-fitting white dress with long sleeves and a slit from the floor to her hip. There was a silver belt hanging around her hips, and her brown hair was done up in two buns, one on each side of her head. Dustin looked down at his Han Solo costume and had to agree with his roommate.

"It's like it was meant to be," Chris laughed from Sam's other side.

"Just go say hi," Sam said.

"Alright, alright, I will," Dustin said. "Just give me a minute."

He upended his beer and chugged the rest of it, hoping for some liquid courage. Then, he stood from the couch and walked into the kitchen, surpassing the girl but watching her out of the corner of his eye as he passed her. Dustin went to the fridge to grab another beer, and as he started walking back through the kitchen, he saw the girl glance his way and smile, causing his heart to flip in his chest.

"Fancy meeting you here, Princess Leia," Dustin said with a cheesy grin, causing the girl to laugh a sweet-sounding giggle that was so wildly different from Suzie's.

"The pleasure is all mine," the girl responded, holding her hand out for Dustin to take, which he did and planted a kiss on the back of it. "And tonight, you may call me Zoey."

"Dustin," he returned the introduction. "Your costume looks great. Leia's buns have nothing on yours."

Zoey laughed again and her cheeks blushed red.

"Are you always this corny?" she asked.

"Only if it keeps making you laugh like that," Dustin grinned.

As Dustin and Zoey started to get into conversation, Johnny announced that he would be starting a Jenga tournament and that everyone had to participate.

"Everyone partner up. We need two teams for the first round," Johnny exclaimed.

Zoey suddenly grabbed Dustin's hand and volunteered the two of them. Johnny set up the game on the coffee table, and Zoey and Dustin sat across from each other while another team of two sat across from each other on the other ends of the table.

Dustin thought Jenga was a pretty lame party game, and it was definitely not what he had had in mind when Sam said there would be drinking games, but he thought it could be fun to play as Zoey's partner. Plus, if everyone had to participate, it was good to get their turn out of the way early so they could keep getting to know each other.

"Alright, whichever team loses has to chug their drinks. Everyone got a full drink?" Johnny asked, looking around at the four competitors.

The game was underway, and both members of each team took turns removing a small block from the tower in the middle of the coffee table. Dustin was quickly changing his mind about Jenga being lame as he saw how much fun Zoey was actually having. He could see her competitive nature in her eyes and the strategy that she put in to choosing which block to pull out.

Dustin was slightly distracted by watching his partner, and he did not realize right away that it was his turn to play until Sam nudged him from behind. Dustin quickly made a decision and pulled an end piece out of the tower. He heard Zoey inhale sharply as the tower began to sway back and forth, and Dustin held his breath hoping he didn't lose the game for them. He and Zoey both exhaled in relief when the tower stopped swaying.

It went around one more time with the other three players each successfully removing a block from the tower, and then it was Dustin's turn again. He was ready this time. He had strategically chosen which block to pull out that he knew would keep himself and Zoey in the game and make it difficult for their opponents not to knock the tower over.

He reached forward, the tip of his tongue held between his front teeth in concentration. Dustin poked the end of the middle block that was his target until it started poking through on the other side. Then, he reached his arm around the tower and began gingerly pulling it straight out. That's when the apartment door unexpectedly opened, and out of the corner of his eye Dustin caught a glimpse of who was walking in.

"Anna! Hi!" Suzie's voice rang in Dustin's ears.

He looked up suddenly to see Suzie embracing a girl near the front door with her new boyfriend standing behind her in the doorway. When Dustin had jerked up, he had roughly pulled the block the rest of the way out, causing the tower to topple down in front of him.

"Awww!" came the disappointed groan from the people who were watching the game.

Dustin looked over the table at Zoey and offered a weak apologetic smile.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"It's okay," Zoey shrugged. "It gives us more time to hang out."

Dustin pushed himself to his feet and started to walk away from the table before Johnny stopped him.

"You know the rules," Johnny reminded them.

That caught Suzie's attention, and she turned to look toward the center of the room to see Dustin standing next to the jumbled Jenga pieces, holding a beer. She pursed her lips in annoyance and maintained eye contact with him while Dustin raised the beer to his lips. Across from him, Zoey raised her own drink to her mouth as well. Dustin finally broke his gaze with Suzie as he began to chug his drink, egged on by Sam and Chris behind him as well as Johnny and the group of people he did not know. As soon as Dustin and Zoey were finished chugging their drinks, Dustin looked back toward Suzie to see her standing with her arms around her new boyfriend's neck, laughing at something that Dustin was sure was not funny at all.

"Do you want another drink?" Zoey's voice penetrated Dustin's thoughts, and he looked down at her as she reached for his empty beer bottle.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks," he mumbled.

Zoey took off toward the kitchen, and Dustin made his way over to the loveseat on the opposite side of the apartment. A moment later, Zoey rejoined him and plopped down onto the cushion next to him, handing him another beer.

"Thanks," Dustin smiled.

"You're welcome," Zoey replied.

Most of the people at the party were focused on the next round of Jenga that was taking place around the coffee table, but Dustin was staring directly at Suzie and her new boyfriend over Zoey's shoulder. Zoey turned to see what was holding Dustin's attention so intently.

"Do you know her?" she asked.

"She's, uh, just my lab partner," Dustin shrugged.

He turned his attention back to Zoey. There was a pretty girl in front of him dressed as Princess Leia, getting drunk, and interested in getting to know him. Surely, he could keep his attention off of Suzie for a few more hours.

Four and a half hours away in Terre Haute, Max and her roommate Sarah had arrived at the frat house that was hosting what Sarah called the biggest party of the year. They were both dressed as music video girls, and they would have fit right in on a Cyndi Lauper set. Max wore hot pink leg warmers over blue leggings, white high heels, short neon green shorts over her leggings, and an oversized black top. Her red hair had been teased and hairsprayed for hours before she got it just right. Sarah was wearing black fishnet tights, black leg warmers, a hot pink tutu with black polka dots, and a tight neon yellow tank top. Her hair was just as teased as Max's.

They were there for one goal only, which was to have a good time. Well, Max had a secret second goal, which was to forget about everything that was going on in her life… her fight with El, her breakup with Lucas, the daunting reality that she could be failing her classes soon. Max had no intention of thinking of any of that tonight.

"There'zzz my baby sisssster," slurred an obviously drunk upperclassman girl who draped her arms around Sarah's shoulders in what was meant to be a hug, but Max was sure that the girl was relying on Sarah to keep her standing.

"Hey… how long have you been here?" Sarah asked, clearly struggling under her sister's deadweight that was pressed against her.

"Like an hour," her sister shrugged, slurring again. "An' who'z this?"

"I've told you about my roommate, Max," Sarah replied as her older sister steadied herself on her own feet but maintained a grip on Sarah's shoulder for support.

"Nice to meet you," Max smiled.

"So polite," Sarah's sister laughed, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. "Tell me, Max… d'you come 'ere to get fucked up?"

Max stifled a laugh at how comically fucked up Sarah's sister already was after partying for one hour.

"Of course," Max replied.

"Not convincing," Sarah's sister said, wagging her index finger. "Here. Thisss'll help you both loosen up."

Sarah's sister fished around in her pocket for a moment until she pulled out a plastic baggie with several small pills of various colors.

"Courtney, what the fuck!" Sarah scolded her sister.

"Oh, calm down," Courtney said, waving a hand nonchalantly.

Courtney slipped two fingers inside the bag and pulled out two pills, handing one out to Max and one to Sarah. Max and Sarah each took the pill hesitantly while Courtney sealed the baggie and put it back into her pocket. She looked up at the two girls expectantly while they looked at the small pills in their hands.

"Well c'mon," Courtney said exasperatedly. "D'you need somethin' to drink wit' it, or what?"

Max and Sarah looked sideways at each other, and Max gave a small shrug. She didn't want to seem lame to upperclassmen, and she had come here to have a good time and forget her troubles. Max placed the small pill on the tip of her tongue and swallowed down the saliva in her mouth, letting the little tablet slide down her throat. She looked over at Sarah who had done the same thing, and Sarah nervously met her gaze.

"Feel anything?" Sarah asked.

"Y'won't right away, silly," Courtney laughed. "Now go getta drink."

Just as abruptly as she had come, Sarah's sister left them to go find her friends again. Max and Sarah agreed to head to the kitchen and find something to drink.

Moments later, they were back in the living room, each with a cup of whatever was in the punchbowl. Max sipped her drink and started to sway her hips to the music that was playing, closing her eyes to feel the beat within her. She soon felt two hands on her hips and the presence of someone behind her. When Max opened her eyes, she was alarmed that her vision had started to blur.

"You don't have to quit dancing, baby," mumbled the male voice behind her when she slowed her hips.

Max shook her head, trying to focus her vision, and took another sip of her drink. She could feel her heart start to pound faster inside her chest, and Max took a deep breath through her nose, trying to calm herself.

'Get your shit together,' she thought to herself. 'You're fine. Just let loose and have a good time.'

Max closed her eyes again and focused on the melody that was playing through the speakers. She moved her hips to the beat and was vaguely aware of the hands that roamed along her hips, waist, and thighs. It was almost as if she were floating.

When she opened her eyes again, Max's vision was still blurred, but she could identify Sarah just three feet from her, sloppily making out with some guy that Max was certain had not been there the last time she had her eyes open.

With her eyes open, Max felt her heartrate start to increase again, and her palms started to feel sweaty. She set her cup down on the table near her and pulled away from the guy she was dancing with.

"Where you going?" he objected.

"I need… air," Max mumbled, unsure if he heard her but she did not care.

Max stumbled her way through the living room, bumping into tables and furniture, grabbing ahold of random strangers' arms to catch herself from falling. Finally, she made her way into the kitchen and then to the sliding patio doors. Max slid open the door and stepped outside onto the concrete slab and breathed in the chilly October air. She closed her eyes and tilted her head up toward the night sky, letting the breeze cross over her face.

"Max?" she heard from the distance.

When Max opened her eyes and looked in the direction the voice came from, she saw what she thought was a blurry outline of Abby. As the blurry figure came closer, Max realized that it was, in fact, Abby.

"Max! Hey! I didn't know you were going to be here," Abby said as she approached the girl and wrapped her in a hug.

Max loosely wrapped her arms around the girl she had reconciled with not so long ago.

"Hey Abby," she mumbled.

Then, two more people joined Abby and Max, and Max looked up to see Robin holding hands with a girl who Max assumed was Robin's girlfriend. Max knew Robin was dating someone but had not yet met her.

Robin leaned in to greet Max with a hug, and Max's nostrils filled with the smell of marijuana. When Robin pulled back, she raised the joint that she was holding to her lips and took a long, slow hit.

Max looked straight ahead, focusing on a random spot on a tree in the backyard. She was focusing on breathing in and out slowly, working to calm her heartrate.

"Are you okay?" Robin asked, concern obvious in her tone.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, I'm just… trying to calm myself down," Max slurred a reply.

"How much have you had to drink?" Robin asked, furrowing her brow.

"Not much," Max shook her head. "Took a pill."

"Max, have you ever taken ecstasy before?" Abby asked seriously, and Max shook her head. "Okay, this is a normal reaction. Just try to relax and enjoy it."

Max nodded and did her best to listen to Abby's advice. She supposed that aside from the increased heartrate, her body did feel pretty good. She just didn't like feeling like her heart was going to explode.

"Maybe you should give her a hit," Robin's girlfriend suggested, gesturing toward the joint Robin held.

"That's a good idea," Abby agreed. "Max have you ever smoked weed before?"

To Abby and Robin's surprise, Max shook her head no. They were both expecting her to have gotten high at least once by now.

"Okay, here," Robin said, moving closer. "Take it slow. This should help lessen the effects of the ecstasy."

Max nodded, deciding to take their word for it. Robin placed the joint into Max's hand, and Max rose it to her lips.

"Since it's your first time, take a small hit, okay?" Robin said. "Go ahead and breathe in slowly… Okay, now take the joint away from your lips but keep breathing in slowly."

Max did as she was told and started to feel a burning sensation in her throat as she felt her lungs fill up.

"When you can't inhale anymore, just hold your breath," Robin instructed, and Max listened.

She held her breath for as long as she could, which ended up only being about four seconds, before Max started coughing.

"Okay, okay, easy," Robin soothed, taking the joint from Max's hand. "Let the rest of your breath out slowly."

Max exhaled slowly and wiped the tears that had streamed from her eyes as she choked.

"There you go," Robin said. "You're going to start feeling more relaxed in a few minutes, okay? It'll kind of even out the ecstasy effects."

"Okay," Max wheezed, still not over the burning that had formed in her throat.

As the minutes went on, Max did start to feel a different type of sensation overcome her. Her heartrate started to decrease, and she began to feel more at ease.

"Are you feeling better?" Robin asked.

"Yeah," Max nodded.

"Fantastic," Abby smiled. "I'm gonna go get some more drinks, and I'll meet right back up with you."

Then Abby disappeared into the house, leaving Max with Robin and Robin's girlfriend.

"Max, this is Olivia," Robin introduced.

"Sweet. It's nice to meet you. I've heard about you," Max said, and Robin shook her head awkwardly.

"Uh, actually, Olivia and I just started seeing each other a couple weeks ago," Robin explained, implying that the girlfriend Max had heard about was now a thing of the past.

"Oh, shit. Sorry," Max stumbled.

"It's okay," Olivia chuckled. "It's good to meet you, too."

Abby returned balancing two cups in each hand and passed one out to each of the three other girls.

"So Max, how have you been since the last time I saw you?" Abby asked.

"I've been alright," Max shrugged. "El and I had a falling out and haven't spoken in weeks. Lucas and I broke up, too. It's whatever."

"Shit, girl, I'm sorry to hear that," Abby said, taking a gulp from her cup.

"Thanks, but I'm not trying to think about that. I'm here to forget about that and have a good time tonight," Max insisted.

"Then that's what you're going to do!" Abby exclaimed and tapped her plastic cup against Max's as a type of cheers before downing the rest of her drink in one gulp. Max followed suit before going inside with Abby for a refill.

Lucas and his beer pong partner were down to one last cup. If he was able to sink this shot, he and Marcus would beat Deonte and Chuck. Lucas steadied himself, aimed with silent concentration, and threw the ball to the other end of the table. When the ball effortlessly landed in the lone cup, the crowd around the table erupted, and Marcus offered his fist for a fistbump.

"Alright, who's next?!" Marcus asked, looking around the room with his arms outstretched as a challenge for someone to go against them. "Any takers?"

"We'll go!" came a female voice.

A girl pulled her friend by the hand to the beer pong table. Both girls were dressed in revealing Catholic school girl costumes. Their pleated skirts ended mid-thigh, mere inches above their white thigh-highs, and their white blouses were knotted under their breasts, exposing their tanned stomachs.

"Welcome, ladies," Marcus grinned. "You know the rules?"

"Of course we know the rules," the first girl smiled and twirled one of her pigtails around her finger.

Each side reset their cups, and the game was underway. The girls quickly fell behind, and Lucas thought it would be a quick game. Suddenly, right as Marcus began to lift his pong ball to take aim, he felt a slender pair of hands roaming up his chest from behind. He jumped and glanced over his shoulder to see a third girl dressed in a Catholic school girl outfit standing behind him and wrapping her arms around him to rub his chest.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" he exclaimed. "I mean, ordinarily, I would not object, but-"

He looked to the opposite end of the table and saw his opponents smirking, and Marcus knew they had made an arrangement for their friend to mess with them.

"This is totally against the rules," Marcus insisted.

"I don't recall ever hearing a rule that explicitly states no one in the audience may make contact with any of the players," one of the girls shrugged innocently. "Do you want her to stop?"

"I – ughh," Marcus shuddered as the girl behind him breathed hotly against his neck.

"Come on, take your shot," one of his opponents grinned.

Marcus tossed the ball in his hand to the other end of the table, and it bounced off the rim of a cup. The two girls on the other end squealed and jumped in excitement. The four players took turns taking their shots, Lucas and Marcus doing their best to resist the distractions that the girls were sending their way including jumping up and down, unbuttoning their blouses so only the knot in the center kept them from falling away, blowing on the balls before shooting them, and of course their friend who continued to tease them when it was their turn to play.

Somehow, Lucas and Marcus managed to land their pong balls in a few more cups, but their female opponents were quickly pulling ahead. When Lucas and Marcus scored three times in a row, Marcus smugly told the girls that they weren't affecting him and Lucas anymore.

"Your plan isn't working anymore, ladies," he grinned.

"Oh, really? I think you might change your mind," one of their opponents smiled in feigned innocence.

Lucas chuckled and raised his pong ball to eye level. As he pulled his arm back and then extended it forward to throw the ball, the girl directly opposite him untied the knot in her blouse and pulled it open, exposing her tits to Lucas, Marcus, and anyone else who was watching. Lucas threw the ball far away from where he had intended, taken off guard and unable to look away from the set of boobs in front of him.

"Nice shot," the girl laughed as she retied her shirt.

The girls were down to one final cup, and when the one across from Marcus tossed her pong ball and sunk it into the last remaining cup, both girls and many people in the crowd cheered.

"Dude, the girls here are wild," Lucas said to Marcus as the two of them walked away from the beer pong table in defeat.

"One of the perks of coming to my parties," Marcus chuckled.

Lucas went to the kitchen to grab himself another beer, and he found his eyes sweeping across the room again in search of Miranda. He had been keeping an eye out for her, looking forward to being able to talk to her again. But she was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she wasn't coming after all?

He shrugged to himself and started walking back toward the living room, when a girl that he recognized stepped in front of him. Lucas immediately recognized her as a girl he had hooked up with after a party not long ago, right before he had met Miranda in the dining hall.

"Lucas, it's great to see you again," she said, pressing herself against him. Lucas could smell the liquor on her breath. Hell, he could almost taste it in the air between their faces.

"You too. You're looking great," Lucas said, glancing down at her scantily clad body which was dressed as a nurse. Her tight white micromini skirt barely covered her private parts, ending several inches above her white thigh-highs. Her tight white top with a red cross to symbolize that she was in healthcare was nearly bursting from trying to maintain her ample cleavage.

"I figured since I'll be a nurse someday, I might as well get some practice in," she shrugged.

"If you look this hot, I may need to come see you for a check-up every now and then," Lucas smirked.

She grinned slyly and then grabbed Lucas by the hand and pulled him toward the stairs. Lucas easily obliged, following her up and letting her pull him into a bedroom. He sloppily kissed her and she fumbled with the belt of his baseball player costume. She pushed the baseball pants and his underwear down his legs, and then Lucas placed his hands on her shoulders and led her down to her knees in front of him.

She wrapped her hand around his hard cock and began greedily licking it, getting the whole length wet and ready to slide into her mouth. Lucas weaved his hands into her hair to hold her hair back from her face and watched from above as she licked him like a lollypop and stroked her hand up and down.

"Put it in your mouth," he said.

Lucas reached one hand down to pull her tight shirt up to her neck, letting her bare tits bounce free. He squeezed her nipples while she did as he told her and placed her lips around the tip of his cock. Lucas groaned and his eyes rolled back into his head as she slid his cock deeper into her wet mouth.

"That's it… that's a good girl," Lucas sighed, tightening his grip in her hair. "Fuck yeah… just like that."

She placed both hands on his thighs and began to bob on his cock handsfree. Lucas thrusted his hips to meet her pace, and he felt the tip of his hard cock hitting the back of her tight throat each time.

"Oh my god…" he groaned. "You're so good at this… so fucking good at this…"

"Samantha," she gasped when she briefly took Lucas out of her mouth and pumped him vigorously with her hand.

"Huh?" Lucas asked.

"Samantha," she repeated. "That's my name. Say my name."

"Yeah, I know. I remembered," Lucas lied.

Samantha took him back into her mouth in one swift movement and was right back to bobbing on his cock, tracing her tongue along the underside while she sucked as hard as she could.

"Fucking Christ, Samantha," Lucas grunted. She started to speed up. "Yeah, fucking do that… Ugh, god, Samantha… fuck."

Lucas's eyes closed, and he forced them back open so he could look down at her as she slobbered all over his cock and balls, her big eyes looking up to meet his. He could feel himself getting close to the edge, and right before he came, Lucas placed both hands on the back of Samantha's head to hold her tightly against him, her nose crushing into his pelvis, while he spent all his cum down her throat.

Lucas stopped thrusting and started to pant, his hands still on the back of Samantha's head. She began to gag against him, his cock being held down her throat for too long, and Lucas quickly released her.

"Fuck," Lucas sighed, slowly tucking himself back into his pants and fastening his belt.

Samantha remained on her knees, wiping her face dry.

Suddenly, the door to the bedroom opened, and they realized they had forgotten to lock it. Some random couple burst inside, their hands all over each other, clearly looking for a place to hook up.

"Oh, shit! Sorry," the guy said when he saw the scene before him.

"Nah, it's cool, man. We're done with it," Lucas panted with a wave of his hand. "It's all yours."

Samantha quickly pulled the top of her costume back down to conceal her breasts before hopping to her feet and following Lucas out of the bedroom to give the couple their privacy.

"Was it as good as you remembered?" Samantha purred into Lucas's ear as she walked behind him down the stairs.

"It was pretty damn good," Lucas grinned.

"Why don't I give you my number, and you can call me some time," Samantha suggested.

Lucas thought about objecting. He knew he wouldn't actually call Samantha. She was fun to hook up with, but he had no interest in getting to know her. Still, what would he gain from being an asshole about it? Lucas accepted the paper that Samantha slipped him with her phone number written on it.

"Just know that I'm pretty busy, and-" Lucas stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the front door open, and in walked the person he had been hoping to see all evening.

"Oh, I know. Football keeps you busy. But whenever you have the free time-" Samantha was saying.

"Sure," Lucas said quickly. "Hey, it was good seeing you, Samantha."

Lucas walked off in the direction of the front door, silently wondering why this girl who he had had just one brief conversation with consumed his thoughts so much. There was something about her that drew Lucas to her, and he found himself happy that she showed up.

"Hey," he smiled when he reached Miranda.

"Hey yourself," she smiled in return flirtatiously.

"Why are you getting here so late?" Lucas asked.

"Have you been waiting on me or something?" Miranda quipped.

"No," Lucas said quickly. "I just noticed you come in is all."

"Uh huh," Miranda smirked, not quite believing him. "It's okay if you were looking for me."

"I wasn't," Lucas replied nonchalantly. "But since you're here, let me get you a drink."

"I'd like that," Miranda smiled and followed him to the kitchen.

Lucas led her to the kitchen and poured her a drink from the punchbowl. He watched her take a drink, and he couldn't help but notice her skin glowing like it had that day in the dining hall, even though there was no sun. She was really damn pretty. Lucas wondered again what was getting into him when it came to this girl.

"So, are you going to ask me to dance or just keep staring at me?" Miranda asked abruptly.

"I – uh-" Lucas stammered, taken aback by her boldness as he had been when they first met.

"Come on," Miranda laughed and pulled him into the living room. And Lucas let her.

Back in West Lafayette, Mike and El were pressed close together, dancing to the music themselves that reverberated through the speakers in the house. Mike was not a big dancer, but he knew trying to resist El was pointless; he would do anything she asked him to.

"Please dance with me," El had begged and looked up at him with big puppy dog eyes and pouty lips. "Come on, Mikey, I love this song."

Mike had laughed at her slurred begging but relented and let her pull him over to dance with her. The two of them had kept drinking steadily, and now as they swayed together, they were both using the other for some amount of support.

"You're so fucking hot," Mike rumbled next to her ear, his hot breath sending chills down her spine.

"Is that how you talk to a lady? I'm a princess," El teased him.

"My apologies, Your Royal Highness," Mike quipped back. "But when you look like that, I can't keep my hands off you."

He slid his hands down her back to grip her ass, and he held her hips tightly against his own. El squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck when Mike dipped his face into the crook of her neck and began nipping at her soft skin.

Just then, Mike and El heard someone clear their throat next to them, and they both looked up to see Will and Adam standing there. Mike reluctantly let go of El's ass and slid his hands back up to her waist, and both Mike and El began to blush a light shade of red.

"I just wanted to let you guys know that we're heading out," Will said.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked.

"Yeah," Will nodded. "This just isn't really my scene."

"Do you want us to walk back with you?" Mike offered.

"No, it's cool," Will shook his head. "You guys have fun, and I'll just see you tomorrow."

Will and Adam said good night to Mike and El and walked to the front door to leave the party. After a while of talking to Adam's friend, the two of them had found a spot in the living room to sit and talk. They had both sipped their drinks throughout the night, becoming tipsy but not drunk. Eventually, Adam had noticed that Will's look of discomfort was not going away, and Will had explained that he wanted to give it a chance, but he simply did not like loud, crowded parties like this. It had been Adam's idea to leave the party and take a walk before heading back to campus.

"Did you have any fun at all?" Adam asked as the two of them walked down the sidewalk in the cool night air.

"Yeah, I did," Will assured him. "It was okay, I just don't think I'll make a habit out of going to big parties like that."

"You could've said something earlier, and we could've left," Adam said, feeling guilty and not believing that Will had enjoyed himself.

"Seriously, it was okay," Will insisted. "But thank you."

"So, umm…" Adam began awkwardly, and Will waited for Adam to find the right words. "Do you want to go to your room or… my room or… both go to our own rooms?"

"Oh, uh, you can come to my room," Will replied, blushing. "I think it was pretty obvious that Mike would be going to El's room tonight."

"Yeah, they definitely are not afraid to show affection in public, are they?" Adam laughed.

"They're a bit more modest when they're sober, but no," Will chuckled. "Seeing them randomly making out or touching each other is pretty normal."

"Well, good for them," Adam said.

"I guess," Will shrugged.

They walked in silence down the main street of town, passing the comic book store that Adam had shown Will the first week they met.

"We should come back here soon," Will said pointing at the store that was closed for the night.

"Yeah, sure," Adam agreed.

As they continued walking, Will felt Adam's fingers graze against his own. He didn't know what to do, so he chose to stare straight ahead and not look in Adam's direction. Then, Adam linked his fingers with Will's. The feeling was not new, but holding hands out in public was.

"Is this okay?" Adam asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, it's good," Will nodded decidedly.

"Good," Adam sighed with a smile. "So when we get back-"

Adam's words were completely drowned out by the unnecessarily loud revving of a car that was about to speed by them. As the car sped by, Will's heart froze when he saw a guy in the front passenger seat of the car lean out the window. Somehow, Will knew what was coming.

"FAGGOTS!" screamed the guy as he swung his arm forward, chucking a glass beer bottle out the window which shattered in the gutter.

"Hey, go FUCK yourself!" Adam screamed after the car that had sped by.

Adam looked as if he wanted to chase the car down, and Will was worried that Adam was considering doing just that.

"Stop, just… please," Will said softly, urging Adam not to say or do anything else.

Will didn't want Adam to put himself in danger by confronting anyone so hateful.

"I'm sorry. A-are you okay?" Adam asked.

He looked at Will, and Will could see the fury still burning in Adam's eyes even though Adam had turned his attention to checking on Will. Was Will okay? Of course not. There was that word again. That word that had haunted him his entire life from his father and from bullies. He felt his stomach churn.

"Y-yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Will mumbled. "Let's just go."

Adam decided not to press the issue any further, and the two of them continued walking toward campus. Still, Adam could not pretend that it didn't sting when Will slipped his hang out of Adam's and walked the rest of the way home with his hands deep in his pockets.

Dustin was doing his best to ignore Suzie's presence at the party. Sure, things had gotten a bit better between them during their labs. They were able to work together and be cordial. But that did not mean that Dustin wanted to see her on the weekends when he was trying to have a fun time. And he certainly didn't want to see her when he was getting to know a nice girl.

He continued glancing over Zoey's shoulder to where Suzie sat with her new boyfriend, her arm resting casually along his thigh as she laughed at whatever stupid joke he was saying. Dustin knew Suzie was faking that laughter to make Dustin jealous. He knew her real laugh; he knew her real smile.

"Dude, can we play something more fun?" whined Chris on the other side of the living room.

There was a murmur among the crowd, as many people agreed that Jenga was getting old.

"Alright, alright," Johnny relented. "What do you suggest?"

"Spin the bottle!" hollered one person.

"We are grown adults," Johnny scolded. "That is a childish game."

"Fine. Strip poker," came the same person's rebuttal, and Johnny rolled his eyes.

"How about Never Have I Ever," suggested Sam, and there was a positive reception to the suggestion.

"Alright, everyone find a seat in the living room," Johnny relented.

Everyone gathered around, and about twenty people ended up crowded in the living room with all ten fingers raised.

"Nothing is off limits," Sam announced. "Every time you put a finger down, you have to drink."

Johnny started the game since he was the host of the party, and they took turns in a clockwise circle. Some people went the more innocent route – never have I ever flown on an airplane, been to Europe, gotten in a car accident – while other people chose more exciting revelations – never have I ever been high, had sex with two different people within twenty-four hours, used sex toys with another person.

Dustin paid attention to which ones prompted Zoey to put a finger down, and he learned that she had flown, had been to Europe, and had been high. She did not put down a finger when they were asked about sex toys, but the shade of red that her face turned led Dustin to believe that maybe she was lying about that.

Then, it was Suzie's turn.

"Never have I ever… cheated on somebody," Suzie said, holding eye contact with Dustin the entire time.

Around the room, a few people actually did put a finger down and admit to it, but Dustin did not. He shook his head, annoyed. He stood by the fact that what happened between him and Suzie was not cheating. He ended things with Suzie before it would've gotten to that point.

Suzie's expression confirmed that she felt otherwise, and she gave Dustin a disappointed look for lying. The game continued around the living room, and soon it was Dustin's turn.

"Never have I ever intentionally flaunted somebody new to make an ex jealous," he said with a little more venom than he had intended.

He saw anger flash in Suzie's eyes, but she did not put down a finger. The game continued a little longer, and Dustin was dreading it getting back around to Suzie. Fortunately, somebody announced that they were out, all ten fingers were down, so the game ended before Suzie got another chance.

Dustin took a seat on the couch where his roommate Sam and Sam's friend Chris were sitting, and Zoey joined him. Out of the corner of his eye, Dustin could see Suzie making sideways glances at him from where she sat with her boyfriend. It seemed like Zoey was getting along well with Sam and Chris, so Dustin excused himself to use the bathroom.

He walked from the living room into the kitchen and turned down the hallway that could not be seen from the living room. He passed two bedrooms and found the bathroom at the end of the hallway. Dustin walked in and closed the door. He placed his hands on the sink and looked himself in the mirror.

"Get it together, Dustin. Stop letting her get under your skin," he muttered to himself.

Tonight was supposed to be about forgetting Suzie, anyway. She had been doing her best to torment him ever since they were paired up as lab partners. He should've known her nice act that she had been displaying recently was too good to be true. But he couldn't let Suzie being a bitch interfere with him getting to know someone new, and Zoey seemed great.

Dustin took one last look at himself in the mirror before turning to leave. When he opened the door, his stomach sank when he saw that he was face-to-face with Suzie. She was standing in the hallway directly in front of the bathroom, blocking Dustin from leaving.

"What do you want?" Dustin asked.

"What is your problem?" Suzie demanded.

"My problem? What is your problem?" Dustin returned the question.

"You've been staring at me all night," Suzie said.

"How would you know that unless you were staring right back at me?" Dustin pointed out.

"Don't flatter yourself," Suzie scoffed. "I looked because I could feel your eyes on me."

"Keep telling yourself that," Dustin chuckled. "Now if you'll excuse me-"

"Way to lie during the game, by the way," Suzie interjected.

"I did not," Dustin began louder than he meant to. He paused, grabbed Suzie by the wrist and pulled her into the bathroom and shut the door so they could hash this out privately. "I did not lie during the game. And that was fucked up of you trying to target me like that."

"Like you didn't target me with yours?" Suzie asked.

"Only because you did it first," Dustin retorted. "And you want to talk about lying? I know for a fact you're intentionally flaunting that guy around in front of me-"

"Believe it or not, Dustin, what I do with my boyfriend is in no way influenced by you," Suzie insisted. "You know, I thought we could be adults about this whole situation."

"Yeah, so did I. Guess that's too much to ask of you," Dustin spat.

"Of me? I have been so nice to you during labs," Suzie said.

"Clearly I was right not to trust that," Dustin said.

"You are never going to grow up," Suzie shook her head.

"You know what, why are you even here? Who do you know at this party?" Dustin asked.

"My friend Anna from my biology class invited me," Suzie replied shortly. "I'm allowed to be here just as much as you are."

"Fine. But no more passive aggressive comments, no more looking over at me. I want you to act like I don't exist," Dustin said.

"Fine by me," Suzie said.

"Good," Dustin said.

He made a move to reach for the doorknob, but Suzie was standing with her back against the closed door. They stood for a moment looking at each other, both of their tempers still raised. Dustin didn't know if it was the alcohol, the tension between them, or the fact that despite it all Suzie looked hot tonight, but before he knew it, Suzie lunged at him, and he did not stop her.

Their lips met for the first time in years and it was with a passion and heat that had never existed between them. Suzie was yanking the top of his Han Solo costume over his head while Dustin pulled Suzie's already lowcut neckline down further to expose her bra. Suzie made quick work of Dustin's belt and pants, and Dustin all but ripped her skirt and panties down her legs.

Dustin grabbed Suzie by the hips and turned to set her on the sink before swiftly plunging his hard cock into her.

"Ah!" she cried out at the abruptness.

It was the first time he had ever been inside her, and she felt incredible. Dustin continued to pound into her and Suzie wrapped her legs around his waist. He pushed the cups of her bra to the side so her tits could be free, and he took one into his mouth while squeezing the other.

Dustin slammed himself into her over and over, harder than he had ever fucked anyone before. All the tension that he felt all semester, every time she had driven him crazy, he was taking it all out on her pussy. He looked Suzie in the eyes and saw how flushed her face was and how dazed her eyes were as she took it.

He gripped her hips tightly, not caring if his fingertips bruised her soft skin, and kind of hoping they would. He pulled her toward him to meet each thrust, plunging deep inside her each time.

"This is what you've wanted all semester, huh?" he asked in a ragged breath. "Why you've been such a bitch to me."

"D-don't f-flatter yourself," Suzie repeated her earlier sentiment.

Dustin reached between them and began rubbing her clit, and Suzie shrieked in pleasure before biting the insides of her cheeks to quiet herself.

"Don't want anyone to hear?" Dustin smirked.

"Sh-shut up," Suzie whispered, closing her eyes from the pleasure of him circling her clit. "Just keep doing that."

Dustin kept going, rubbing her clit to bring her closer and closer to the edge. Finally, Suzie dug her nails into his shoulders and clenched her teeth tightly to hold back her scream as she came. Dustin felt her pussy tighten around his cock, trying to squeeze the cum right out of him, but he held it in. As soon as Suzie finished, Dustin pulled out of her and aimed his cock at the toilet just in time.

He flushed the only proof of his orgasm and looked over at Suzie who was panting while redressing herself.

"Well," Dustin sighed. "Guess you can't say you've never cheated on anybody anymore."

Suzie shot him a death glare before looking in the mirror to make sure she looked presentable again.

"I've got to say, when we dated back when we were fourteen, I thought a lot about what our first time would be like, and it was nothing like that," Dustin said.

"Shut up," Suzie demanded. "This was the first, last, and only time. Me pretending like you don't exist starts right now."

"Fine by me," Dustin shrugged.

Suzie opened the bathroom door and left without another word. When she entered the living room, she saw that her boyfriend was nowhere to be seen. She walked over and sat next to her friend Anna.

"Where did Evan go?" she asked of her boyfriend.

"He was the most sober one here, so he drove Johnny on a beer run," Anna explained.

Suzie saw Dustin enter the living room out of the corner of her eye but did not turn to look in his direction. He did not exist to her.

"It's about time," Sam said when Dustin rejoined him, Chris, and Zoey on the couch. "You feeling okay?"

"I'll be fine. I was just feeling a bit nauseous," Dustin shrugged.

"Well we were talking to Zoey. Did you know she's been to Comic Con?" Sam asked.

"Three times," Zoey added.

"Really? That's sweet," Dustin said.

He did his best to listen while Zoey talked about her trips to San Diego and all the different people she met while she was there. Dustin couldn't help but notice when the front door opened and Johnny walked inside carrying more booze. Johnny was followed by Suzie's boyfriend.

Suzie's boyfriend walked over and greeted Suzie with a kiss on the forehead before sitting next to her, and it wasn't long before Dustin started hearing her laugh again.

"You know what, guys, I'm sorry," Dustin said suddenly. "I'm still not feeling very well. I'm going to head out."

"Are you sure? I can walk back with you," Sam offered.

"No, don't worry about it. Stay and have fun," Dustin said.

"Okay, well, here," Zoey said as she pulled a pen from her purse. She ripped the corner off a napkin that was sitting on the coffee table and jotted down her phone number. "Take my number and give me a call some time."

"Sure, okay," Dustin mumbled and slipped it into his pocket. "It was nice meeting you."

"You too," Zoey said with a smile though she was confused by his sudden change in demeanor.

Dustin told them goodbye and made a point not to look in Suzie's direction as he left the apartment. He was met with the fresh air on his face and he began walking back to campus. Tonight was a one-time thing. It happened because they got caught up in the heat of the moment, and the alcohol probably helped matters along as well. Once the weekend was over, Suzie would go right back to her fake niceness in class or just act like he doesn't exist. Dustin wasn't sure which one he would prefer.

In Terre Haute, as the night went on, Max almost forgot about the unsettling reaction she had had after starting the party out with trying ecstasy from Sarah's sister. Once she had taken the edge off those effects, Max was able to relax and really enjoy herself. She spent hours with Abby, Robin, and Robin's girlfriend Olivia in the backyard, passing a couple joints around and drinking several more cups of the mixed drink from the kitchen. It was Max's first time experiencing something other than just being drunk, and she found she did like how smoking weed made her feel.

Max was not sure what time it was when Sarah found her in the backyard and approached her with the guy Max had seen her making out with in the living room. Sarah said that she was leaving and would see Max in the morning. Shortly after, Robin and Olivia started talking about going home for the night.

"You guys go ahead. I'll stay with Max and make sure she gets home alright," Abby offered.

Max gave Robin a hug and waved Olivia goodbye, and then Max and Abby were left in the backyard.

"How much longer did you want to stick around here?" Abby asked.

"We can head out," Max shrugged.

It wasn't until they started walking from the frat house back to campus that Max realized how messed up she was. Standing in one spot in the backyard had been one thing, but trying to walk a straight line was proving impossible.

Finally, Max and Abby made it back to Max's dorm room. To Max's surprise, Abby followed her inside saying that she was going to make sure Max was okay. Max sat on her bed while Abby took a cup and went to the drinking fountain down the hall to fill it with water.

"Here you go," Abby said when she returned to the room and handed Max the cup of water.

Then Abby made sure the small trashcan in Max's room had a trashbag in it and placed it next to Max's bed.

"I don't puke," Max insisted.

"You tried new things tonight. You just want to be prepared for when you come down from it all," Abby explained, and Max shrugged. "Did you end up having fun though?"

"Yeah, I had a lot of fun," Max replied. "I forgot all about the bullshit going on in my life."

Abby offered her a sympathetic smile and took a seat beside her on the bed.

"That really sucks about your friend," Abby said.

"It's whatever," Max shrugged. "I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that she would pick her boyfriend over me."

"What exactly happened?" Abby asked.

"I went to see her at Purdue. We got to talking about when she and her boyfriend were broken up, and I assumed that he had told her everything about the girl he was seeing while they were broken up," Max explained. "So I mentioned Mike having sex with the girl he was seeing, and El told me that didn't happen. She confronted Mike about it, and it turned out to be a misunderstanding and I got it wrong. I apologized for it, but in true Mike form, he refused to forgive me. So El said she wanted to put distance between herself and me. I don't know… I do miss her, but… I don't know."

"It sounds like she overreacted," Abby said. "You were trying to be a good friend and tell her something about her boyfriend that she had the right to know."

"Exactly," Max agreed. "But neither of them see it that way. Mike has it in his head that I'm out to sabotage their relationship, and that's just not the case."

"Have you tried talking to either of them since?" Abby asked.

"El tried calling me for a while, but I wasn't ready to talk to her," Max replied. "She has stopped calling. I miss her a lot, but I don't know if it's worth trying to fix things, knowing she'll just toss me to the side for Mike at any given point."

"Yeah, that's a tough one. I don't know her very well at all, but she never seemed like all that great of a friend to you," Abby said gently. "I know you've gotten mad at me for saying that before."

"Yeah, but maybe you have a point," Max sighed.

Abby offered another sympathetic smile.

"You said you also had a breakup?" she asked.

"Yeah," Max sighed. "Lucas and I had been dating off and on since we were thirteen. He was my first kiss, my first love, I lost my virginity to him. We both really cared about each other but didn't want to tie ourselves down so young."

"That sounds reasonable," Abby said.

"It was. Then this past February, we decided to give a committed relationship a chance," Max continued. "So we did that for about six months, but then we went to different colleges."

"I think I see where this is going," Abby said.

"This is all new," Max said. "I wanted to make sure both Lucas and I were free to explore and have the full college experience. I suggested we take the casual route with our relationship again, but he wanted no part in that. So it ended."

"At least you were honest with him about what you wanted," Abby said. "You could've messed around behind his back, but you didn't. The fact that he wouldn't listen and take your needs and wants into consideration is on him, not you."

"Yeah, but I didn't want to lose him altogether," Max said.

"You're still so young," Abby pointed out. "Who says you lost him? Focus on you, go out and explore and have that experience you were looking for. If life brings you back around to Lucas, then great."

"Did you ever reconnect with your ex?" Max asked.

She remembered that the first time she met Abby, Abby shared that she had dated a guy named Thomas throughout high school. After briefly trying a long-distance relationship when Abby and Thomas had gone to different colleges, Abby had broken things off with him for essentially the same reasons Max was looking for.

"No, but that's me," Abby shrugged. "Besides, I'm not done seeing what's out there, yet."

"I haven't really even started," Max admitted. "I've danced with guys at parties, but I haven't let myself really get out there."

"Maybe I can help you with that," Abby suggested, and Max couldn't quite place her tone, but she thought she detected a bit of flirting in it.

"How so?" Max asked, and she had an inkling as to where Abby was going with this that caused her throat to feel as if it were closing up.

Abby grinned and ran her fingers through Max's long red hair, lightly grazing over the tangles from all the teasing and hairspray. Max felt goosebumps cover her skin as she realized Abby's face was inching closer to hers, but she did not pull away.

Before Max knew it, Abby's lips were on hers. They were soft and tasted of the liquor they had both drank all night. Max mewled when Abby pulled back and then opened her eyes to see Abby grinning at her.

"You said you wanted new experiences," Abby said.

Max reached forward and pulled Abby's lips back to her own, tangling her fingers in Abby's blonde hair. She laid back against her pillows as Abby leaned forward against her. As Abby's fingers wove through her red hair and Abby trailed her kisses down to Max's collarbone, all Max could think about was how amazing it was that this did not feel wrong at all.

Max felt Abby's hand between her legs as Abby started rubbing her pussy overtop of her clothes. Abby slipped her fingers into the waistband of the shorts and leggings Max was wearing and slid them down her legs until Max was able to kick them off. Then Abby pulled down Max's panties and tossed them to the side before discarding her own.

Abby pushed apart Max's thighs and buried her face into Max's center. Max arched her back, immediately overcome with pleasure. She felt Abby's thin fingers gripping at her inner thighs to hold them apart while Abby ravaged her pussy, swirling her tongue around her clit and moving her tongue in patterns Max had never felt before.

Max closed her eyes, her head spinning from everything she had consumed at the party and the overwhelming sensation of Abby licking her as if she had known every inch of her for years.

While she ate Max out, Abby's own pussy was throbbing. She moved one hand from Max's thigh and began to rub her own pussy while Max continued to writhe underneath her. Abby slid two fingers into her own core and pressed her thumb against her clit, fingering herself while her tongue picked up speed on Max.

Max was moaning and squealing in pleasure; she had never felt anyone touch her quite like this before. She could feel her orgasm building, and soon, her toes started to curl as Abby's tongue relentlessly flicked over her clit while Abby sucked on it. Max felt the warm gush of her fluids as she came, and Abby continued to fingerfuck herself, bringing herself to her own orgasm while she lapped up Max's.

When they had both finished, Abby crawled up to lay next to Max.

"Do you want to stay here tonight?" Max panted.

"Sure," Abby shrugged and pulled the blankets up over both of them. "I hope that was able to help with your little problem."

Max actually found herself speechless, unable to respond to Abby's banter. Instead, she turned off the light and let herself fall asleep, her head still spinning from all the events of the night.

Will and Adam had made it back to campus. They did not talk much for the remainder of the walk after the altercation with the asshole that had driven by them. As they approached Will's dorm hall, Adam began to wonder if he should offer to go back to his own room instead of coming to Will's, but Will had made no indication that Adam was not still welcome. So, the two of them walked up to Will's room and went inside.

Will wordlessly tossed his Batman costume to the side and pulled on a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt without looking over at Adam. Adam silently followed suit and changed out of his costume and into the jeans and t-shirt that he had been wearing when he arrived at Will's room before getting ready for the party.

"So… do you want to talk about it?" Adam asked carefully.

"There's nothing to talk about," Will said, sounding defeated.

"Will-"

"What? People are assholes. They're always going to be assholes. Who were we hurting by walking down the street?" Will demanded.

"Nobody," Adam replied.

"Exactly. But someone still went out of their way to… do that," Will said disgustedly.

"I know," Adam said gently. "It sucks that there are people like that out there."

"And then you almost made the situation worse," Will said.

"What are you talking about?" Adam asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"Screaming after them like that?" Will reminded him.

"You mean standing up for us?" Adam countered. "I don't see why that part makes you upset."

"Because what if they would've stopped? Turned around? Gotten out of the car?" Will asked.

Adam froze when he realized Will wasn't upset with him for standing up for them; Will was worried that Adam nearly put himself in danger.

"Will, it was just instinct," Adam said softly. "When someone insults me or someone I care about, I react."

"Yeah, but if you react to the wrong person, you could get yourself hurt," Will said. "I've dealt with bullies my whole life. I know how it works."

"Look, I'm sorry for worrying you," Adam said.

"Just promise that you'll leave it alone if… if something like that happens again," Will said.

"I promise," Adam said. "And I hate to tell you this, but it is not a matter of 'if' it happens again, but 'when.'"

"Why are people so messed up?" Will sighed.

"I don't know. This is one of the reasons I told you a goal of mine is to move to a big city after college," Adam explained. "More acceptance, less small-minded mentality. Of course, you can't escape it altogether."

"I've heard that word my whole life, and it still stung just as much tonight as it did every single time," Will said.

"Yeah, it does. But as cheesy as it sounds, when someone goes out of their way to hurt you like that, it says more about them than you," Adam said.

"That sounds like something my mom would say," Will chuckled.

"Well it's true," Adam said. "You just have to remember that your friends and family – the people who matter – love you for who you are. It's hard to remember that sometimes because I feel like the first natural instinct is to stand up for yourself, but you can't let some asshole make you think badly of yourself."

"I know. This is just all still new to me. The whole public aspect," Will said.

"I know it is, and you're handling everything great so far," Adam encouraged him.

"Thanks. I'm still a little worried about telling the rest of my friends and my mom and brother at Thanksgiving, but I do feel a bit better knowing Mike and El will be there," Will said.

"You'll do great," Adam smiled.

"I hope so," Will said. "Also, thanks for talking to me about this tonight."

"Of course. I wanted to make sure you were okay," Adam said. "It is really late, though. I should head back to my room."

"Don't you want to stay here tonight?" Will asked, furrowing his brow.

"Uh, do you want me to?" Adam asked.

"I thought that was the point of you coming back with me," Will said.

"I didn't want to assume anything," Adam replied. "Are you sure you want me to?"

Will and Adam had spent long hours in each other's rooms, but neither had actually spent the night with the other before.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Will said definitively.

"Okay," Adam smiled.

Will gave Adam a pair of pajama pants to sleep in so he could change out of his jeans. Then the two of them crawled into Will's bed. Will felt his heart fluttering in his chest at the idea of sleeping all night with Adam right next to him. It may not have seemed like a big deal, but to Will it was.

"Good night," Adam said from behind Will.

Will turned his head and Adam was there to connect their lips with a good night kiss.

"Good night," Will replied.

Adam draped an arm over Will's waist, and the two of them fell into a peaceful sleep together for the first time.

While Will and Adam were walking home, Mike and El were drunkenly dancing and kissing, lost in their own world. Mike's hands roamed from El's waist to the soft skin of her back to her ass to the long locks of red hair that he stroked, forgetting sometimes that it was a wig.

"I can't wait to rip this costume off you," Mike whispered into El's ear, shooting chills down her spine.

"Let's go," El whimpered.

Mike did not need to be told twice. He took El by the hand and went with her to tell Bethany that they were leaving for the night, then the two of them left the house and headed back to campus.

The fifteen-minute walk seemed to be taking significantly longer on the way back than it had on the way to the party. El's stumbling in her green high heels did not help matters. With a little over five minutes left on their walk home, Mike stopped to offer to carry El.

"Do you want me to carry you the rest of the way?" he asked.

"If you would be so kind," El grinned, her eyes drooping.

"Anything for you, Princess," Mike teased.

He knelt down so El could get on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Giving El a piggyback ride and not having to stop every few steps due to her stumbling made the rest of the walk go much quicker, and soon, they arrived at El's dorm room.

The second they were inside with the door closed and locked behind them, Mike had El pushed against the wall, kissing her passionately and bruising her already swollen lips while he pulled the red wig off her head. He unfastened the purple clamshell bra and slid down the green pencil skirt while El sloppily pulled his clothes off of him. Then, Mike pulled her to the bed.

As soon as El's back hit the mattress and her head hit the pillow, it was all she could do not to succumb to the sleep that tried to overtake her as a result of how late it was and how much she had drunk.

Mike was on top of her, kissing her neck and grinding his hard cock between her legs. He felt her gradually stop responding to his touches, and when he raised his head to look at her, he saw that El's eyes were closed and her head had lolled to the side as it rested on her pillow.

"El?" Mike said gently, shaking her shoulders lightly.

El's eyes snapped back open, blinking rapidly.

"I'm okay," she slurred groggily. "Keep going, Mike."

He leaned back in to kiss her on the lips, and El reciprocated for a few seconds before her lips fell limp against his. She must have felt Mike pull away because she forced her eyes open again.

"Why you stopping?" she slurred.

"El, we can just go to sleep," Mike said.

"I'm not that tired," El insisted as she tried to keep her eyes open.

"Babe, you're literally falling asleep on me," Mike chuckled.

"Am not. See?" El slurred before reaching down and lazily rubbing Mike's cock up and down.

Mike closed his eyes in a brief moment of ecstasy as El's fingers stroked his erection, but he knew it wasn't right.

"See? Now rock my world, baby," El slurred as she tried to stifle a yawn.

"Tomorrow," Mike said with an amused smile.

"Mikey, I told you, I'm not too tired," El mumbled groggily.

"I know, but I am," Mike lied. "Let's just wait until tomorrow."

"Your loss," El shrugged, not even trying to keep her eyes open anymore.

Mike chuckled and shook his head before kissing her forehead and standing from the bed. He did his best to think of anything that would kill his boner while he looked around the room for clothes for the two of them to sleep in. He found a t-shirt of his that El had stolen to sleep in draped over her desk chair. Mike grabbed the t-shirt and slipped it over El's head, pulling her arms through the arm holes and pulling the hem down to where it reached her hips. He decided to sleep in just his boxers, and he rejoined El in her bed.

As soon as Mike laid down next to her, El flung one leg over his legs and one arm over his chest, holding onto him like a koala bear.

"Night, Mike," she mumbled softly against his chest, and Mike swore for a moment that it was the same small voice that had said those exact words all those years ago on the first night they met.

"Good night, baby. I love you," Mike whispered and kissed the top of her head, squeezing her against himself.

"Love… you…" El sighed, practically asleep already.

Mike rubbed El's back as she slept on him, listening to the sound of her breathing and feeling her heart beat against his own chest. It was his favorite way to end a night, and eventually he drifted off to sleep next to her.

After hours of drinking, dancing, and talking, Miranda told Lucas it was time for her to leave the party and head back to her room.

"Let me walk with you since we live in the same building," Lucas offered.

They did live in the same building, and it was the gentlemanly thing to do, but the truth was Lucas did not want to be finished talking to Miranda tonight. He had not realized how much time had passed.

"This isn't some weird way for you to find out my room number and stalk me or anything, is it?" Miranda teased.

The long-standing joke and long-term nickname of "stalker" popped into Lucas's mind, but he laughed it off.

"Of course not. I'm no stalker. I'm just trying to offer a pretty lady a safe walk home," Lucas said.

"Very well," Miranda smiled.

The two of them left the party together and set off into the cold, dark night. As they walked, they talked about the most recent football game. It turned out that Miranda had seen Lucas watching her after all.

"I told you I would be looking out for you during the game," Lucas reminded her.

"I look out for you, too," Miranda admitted.

"What, as I sit on the bench?" Lucas chuckled.

"As you practice with everyone," Miranda said. "There is no way you won't be starting next year."

"Thank you. I appreciate that," Lucas said.

They reached their dorm building, and Lucas followed Miranda up to one of the floors that he knew was an all-female floor. They walked down the hallway until Miranda stopped outside of a door.

"This is mine. Thanks for walking back with me. Hopefully I'll see you around," she said politely.

Lucas's mouth dropped open slightly as he looked from the closed door and back to Miranda. Miranda's lips curled into an amused grin and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"What's the matter? Were you expecting something more when we got here?" she asked.

"What? No, of course not," Lucas said quickly.

"Sure you weren't," Miranda chuckled. "I know you've been hooking up with cheerleaders, and that is not how this is going to go. If you want a shot with me, you need to do it the right way and take me out, Lucas Sinclair."

"I did have a really nice time with you tonight," Lucas said.

"I had a nice time with you, too," Miranda replied.

"I'm just not really looking for a relationship right now," Lucas admitted.

"And I'm just not really looking for a hookup right now," Miranda said. "Good night, Lucas."

Miranda smiled sweetly before unlocking her door, going inside, and closing it. Lucas stared at the closed door, bewildered. After everything with Max, he was enjoying being single. But, what he really wanted long-term from a girl, he knew he wouldn't get from Max. He wasn't looking for a relationship, but Miranda was taking him completely off guard. Lucas was enjoying getting to know her, no matter how brief. There was something about her that kept her present in his mind and made him want to know more about her. Was he willing to let that end before it could really even begin all because she wanted a higher level of respect than the other girls he had recently associated with?

Lucas took a deep breath and knocked on her door. To his surprise, the door opened immediately and Miranda was looking back at him with the same sweet smile on her face.

"Yes?" she asked.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Lucas asked.

"I don't have any plans," Miranda replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Would you like to go out with me? We could get lunch, go for a walk and talk, maybe see a movie if there's anything good playing," Lucas suggested.

"Sudden change of heart?" Miranda smiled.

"I'll be here tomorrow at one," Lucas grinned in return.

"I can't wait," Miranda said. "Good night."

"Good night," Lucas replied.

Miranda closed the door again, and Lucas walked away with a smile on his face, wondering what tomorrow would hold for him.

0-0-0

A/N: If you made it to the end of this one, thank you for reading, and I hope you liked it. Let me know your thoughts on what happened and what you think will happen. Thanksgiving is coming up soon in the story, and that will be a big moment! As always, thank you for reading, please remember to leave me a review, and stay safe until next time!