The four moved down and through the dancing crowd, the soft drum and bass pulsating in a smooth rhythm around them. People were dancing and talking, facing the stage. The atmosphere was charged but also subdued, different from the concert their first night. Full fires were fluttering against the light breeze, adding a warm glow to the moving throng but strangely enough, they weren't fighting to pass.

Everyone was so close, moving and jerking and laughing and dancing but it seemed like the boys merged through them with ease.

Despite the mass of people, Elizabeth spotted Star easily. Her eyes had been drawn to her straight away despite the innumerable other women around. It was hard not to notice her, she was so gorgeous. She was moving her body to the beat, hands caressing her stomach, chest, neck and her hair. She was so sensual in her movements and the glittering of her skirts and bangles just added to her beauty.

She moved her eyes and saw that Michael was watching her, slowly moving closer against her as she beckoned him over with a secretive smile.

It was a somewhat intimate thing to watch and while Elizabeth wanted to look away there was something compelling about the scene unfolding. During their walk Star had been reserved, quiet, hiding from Michael's touch, almost...almost like she didn't want to be there but now she was smiling and flirtatious?

"It's like peeing" Paul said loudly over her shoulder, as Marko politely moved past her, two hands briefly touching her shoulders.

She'd been staring and blocking the way.

"Huh?" she turned to face Paul, confusion and humor dancing across her face. She felt a little bit embarrassed that she'd held them up with her gawping but the blonde was so perky and she felt so at ease wit him, it was a fleeting feeling.

She didn't notice David's cold eyes staring past them both, piercing into Michael and Star's backs.

"You know! When you just gotta pee and it doesn't matter what you're doing because you just really gotta fuckin' pee. Or, OK" he said, noting her clueless face, "a fart. You gotta squeeze one out and you just gotta let it go, no matter how stinky it's gonna be..you know, girl?"

She was laughing in confusion, watching Paul's earnest face. He was laughing at her ignorance now and, helping her out, he pointed to Star and Michael.

She turned, following his ringed digits.

Star and Michael were now dancing almost as one, pressed tightly against each other. It was incredibly intimate and sexual and she was taken aback for a second.

Michael was whispering into Star's ear and she was tilting her head up towards him, her ear brushing against his lips.

"It's an urge!" Paul laughed and, cringing a little at her brother's antics, she laughed along too.

"Come on" he led her away from the area where Michael and Star were dancing and she happily allowed him to do so.

That wasn't something she wanted to see.

David followed them silently and they joined Marko who was in deep conversation with a tall brunette.

"So what do you think?" Marko asked loudly, turning to Elizabeth.

"It's cool!" she replied, "I'm glad we ran into you!"

She doubted she and Michael would have come down here without the invitation. And honestly, she was having fun, Paul was so easy to talk to and Marko seemed to be including her pretty effortlessly.

Maybe she didn't need to wait the long months for school to start before she could make friends.

Something in the crowd caught Paul's eye and he slipped away from the group.

"I'm glad to hear that" Marko patted his friend on the arm, bringing him into their conversation, "this is Dwayne"

Nearby, somebody lit an old, wood-filled oil drum and a warm fire exploded, briefly illuminating Marko and Dwayne's face further.

Elizabeth smiled as the heat reached her.

Dwayne was striking.

"Elizabeth is Mike's brother" Marko explained by way of introduction and she smiled as he finished with an, "and we're done with the introductions. Finally, I hate them"

"Hi" Dwayne said, his voice deep and his eyes serious, "hey man" he also greeted David who had moved to join them fully, forming a small circle.

"You guys wanna drink? I'm gonna go now, it's quiet" Marko asked, straightening his jacket, ready to move through the crowd.

"I'll take a beer" David said easily, before looking at Dwayne with an inquiring quip of his eyebrow "beer?"

The brunette nodded.

"How about it, Elizabeth?" David asked, turning to her. There was no pressure in his voice, no challenge but for the briefest of moments, she felt like she didn't want to disappoint him.

"I-" she paused for a second and, meeting David's eyes she nodded, "-OK. Sure. Thanks"

What was the harm? One beer wouldn't hurt.

"'atta girl!" Marko smiled as he passed her.

"So, um. I hope you don't mind my asking but how did you guys meet?" Elizabeth asked, raising her voice only a little over the music. She didn't feel the need to fill the silence between them but she was intrigued by the four boys.

They seemed so different but similar at the same time and they were obviously good friends.

She shot a look at Dwayne, unable to help herself for a moment.

He really was striking.

There was a bit of coldness to him, an element of aloof confidence but she thought...well, for a moment she thought that she saw something in him. His jaw was defined but he was scowling a little, his eyebrows somewhat drawn as if he was deep in thought, his lips turned upwards only slightly.

Handsome, striking but intimidating, too.

She glanced away.

David smirked a little though she didn't find it unpleasant. She didn't find it unpleasant on Dwayne, either.

"You're polite, you know that, Elizabeth?" he turned to Dwayne, "the first words out of Paul's mouth were questions about her blood relation to Michael"

Dwayne gave a scoff but he was smiling now,

"Paul has zero tact" he said, addressing Elizabeth mostly. His thick hair fell to his shoulders and she noticed just how chiseled his face was. She had thought his features were striking but cold - somewhat like David - but now that he was smiling she thought differently.

She glanced away again, hoping she wasn't being obvious in her appraisal but God, he was handsome.

She'd never really been surrounded by such attractive people before.

"Yet here she is...you're concerned a question about how we met might be crossing a line?" David finished, now also smiling at her.

"No, no. Really" Elizabeth laughed, "it's fine. Paul's been great"

"We've been friends forever, since I care to remember, really" David said with an easy shrug.

Elizabeth didn't stop to consider that his answer didn't address her question but she did unconsciously move a step forward, moving closer to hear better.

Paul joined them again, almost as if he had appeared from thin air.

How could he just slip through the crowd like a ghost?

"Just friends? I'm hurt. We're brothers"

Elizabeth shot him a surprised smile; how had he heard overheard their conversation as well?

"We're family" Dwayne agreed with a nod and she looked at him once more.

"There's that saying, you can't choose your family...well, we're proof that it's bullshit. You can totally choose your family" Paul finished with a wide smile in the shorter girl's direction.

"Not me. I didn't get a say. Some papers were signed and there I was, in a house in Arizona with these two weirdos calling me sister-" she laughed at their expressions, faltering with embarrassment before clarifying nervously, "-it's just a joke…"

The three boys laughed with her and she noted it wasn't out of politeness.

"Welcome to Santa Carla, girl!" Paul laughed, slapping her on the back.

David was watching her thoughtfully, a smile playing on his lips.

Marko returned, "what's that?" he asked, holding a makeshift tray carrying 5 beers.

Dwayne reached forward and took two. As Paul and David took their own, Dwayne reached forward and handed one to Elizabeth.

"Here" he said in his deep, baritone voice, no invitation but a simple and kind gesture, including her right off the bat.

She smiled up at him, with a quiet, shy thanks.

She felt happily, excitedly nervous standing beside him.

"Oh, we were just welcoming Elizabeth to the group" David summarized in response to Marko's question, his ice-blue eyes trained on hers.

She realized then, that they were all looking at her.

She hoped her blush wasn't visible.

They'd clearly watched her as she had been watching Dwayne.

"Well, I guess that deserves a toast?" Marko said seriously.

"To new friendships" Dwayne said, raising his beer.

Blushing deeper now and feeling happy but nervous, she followed the others and raised her can.

With a cheers, they began to drink.

As Paul downed his beer with practiced ease, he crushed the can with one squeeze and belched.

It was hard not to gawp at him. She'd been to parties before, she'd watched people chug but that? That must have been some record speed right there.

Marko, having finished half of his, laughed and smacked his friend on the shoulder.

"Such a pig, man" he chortled.

"Oink fuckin' oink"

Elizabeth found herself laughing at them both as they descended into a joking, verbal fight.

"It's always like this" Dwayne told her with a grin, also seemingly amused by his friend's antics, "I swear I don't even know what quiet sounds like anymore"

Elizabeth, pushing her hair back behind her ear.

It was nice to see him smile.

His whole face brightened and she couldn't help but grin. She hoped it looked like she was just responding to his comment but that smile? It suited him.

"I get the feeling you also don't know what boredom feels like anymore though, huh?"

"They're literally throwing insults at each other?" Dwayne reminded her.

As the two boys quit their colorful insults, they dissolved into laughter, smacking each other on the back and jostling.

"But you're right" Dwayne agreed, his eyes a little bright but his face once more serious, "I guess it is a good trade-off. So Michael said you only arrived a week ago?"

She turned to face him fully.

"Yeah, something like that" she took another sip of her beer, "I don't even know. It feels like forever and also not even a day, if that makes sense?"

"Big change" Dwayne nodded, shooting her a small smile.

He seemed so...so serious, so stoic..so like David but that smile? She hadn't seen David crack a grin like it.

Suddenly the dimmed neon lights above the stage went out completely and the music stopped.

Elizabeth, distracted, turned to look as the crowd shuffled and muttered in momentary confusion. The lights began to flash and strobe and the heavy sound of drum and bass really began to pound across the stage with a new, loud intensity.

The crowd cheered and began to bounce to the beat before a newly arrived performer started to rap with an almost angry intensity of his own.

"Wow. That's a change of pace!" Elizabeth shouted, as she laughed up at Dwayne.

She thought Star said the concert would be a relaxed one.

She was a little taken aback by how fast the atmosphere of the concert had changed.

"I hate it when they do that" he said.

"Not your taste?" she teased.

"How can this be anybody's taste?" he asked disapprovingly, taking another drink.

The crowd began to shout louder with the music.

Elizabeth nodded.

He was right, the performer wasn't a particularly talented rapper and seemed to be shouting words more than anything else but the people in the crowd were going crazy for it.

"Wow, this music got bad fast, huh?" Michael appeared before Elizabeth and Dwayne, looking slightly flushed but bright.

Star was lingering uncertainly a few spaces away.

He glanced at the beer his sister was holding but didn't say anything. He wasn't out to embarrass her, which was fair because she'd had ample opportunities to embarrass him and she was thankful that he recognized it.

As Dwayne turned to speak with David, Elizabeth felt a pit of disappointment form in her stomach but Star approached her before she could really consider it.

"How long have you guys been stood here?" she asked quietly, almost in a whisper. So low Elizabeth had to lean in close, barely able to hear over the pounding music.

Star stole a glance behind Elizabeth's shoulder before her worried eyes met Elizabeth's again.

"We came down right after you two…" Elizabeth told her, trying to speak low, trying to match her tone. She thought the answer was obvious, though. After all, they had come as a group.

"What did you see?" Star asked her intently.

Elizabeth was worried the girl was going to cry, "uh? You and my brother dancing?" she replied softly with a little shake of her head, not sure why Star was so upset, "but we were talking, mostly. Our backs were to you…?" again, unsure if she was saying the right things.

She was unsure of what the ethereal girl in front of her wanted.

Star took a breath, "I was too absorbed in.." she shook her head, her words trailing off.

Michael was nodding his head and moving his body a little to the off-beat music, pointedly looking away from the two girls. He must have desperately wanted to know what they were whispering about, Elizabeth thought.

Looking away from her brother, Elizabeth told Star, "what? It's fine. You two were having fun, you're not the only ones here dancing…" she was struggling to make her quiet voice heard over the music, now.

Star smiled at Elizabeth and nodded her head but she didn't look comforted.

She almost looked like she was mentally preparing to paint a smile on her face.

Some people around them had started head banging as an electric guitar and drums started to accompany the badly rapping singer.

Elizabeth grimaced a little, this concert really did change fast and not in a good way. She turned her head to check behind her and saw the crowd had become tighter.

The four boys didn't look overly impressed either.

"Do you want to go to the toilet or something?" Elizabeth turned and asked Star.

Maybe some quiet girl talk was what she needed?

"Thank you, that would be-" Star began, before a lumbering, greasy-haired guy knocked into her with a drawled "ah, shit man, sorry dudes"

As Star stumbled, she reached out instinctively to steady herself and Elizabeth's drink went flying.

Michael shouted an angry "Hey man" but it was Dwayne who had moved fast and shoved him away.

As the drunk ambled off, hitting a concrete pillar hard with his shoulder, Michael moved to Star.

Dwayne watched the drunk go, his face stoic and fire in his eyes.

"Are you OK?" he asked, turning and staring at Elizabeth intently.

She laughed with a shake of her head and rubbed her hands on her thighs, "I'm fine" she assured him, "no use crying over spilt milk. Or beer, huh?"

"Star?" Michael repeated, "You OK?"

"Yes" she replied in a small voice, barely audible.

"We're gonna head out" Marko announced loudly, David and Paul closing their now tight circle, "coming?"

Michael looked at Star, unsure of what he should say.

Elizabeth looked between the two, not knowing what was going on with them. They were so obvious in their attraction just minutes before but now?

"I have beer on my jeans, I think that's my signal to call it a night" Elizabeth told Marko with a nod and a smile. She stepped towards the boys, breaking the circle, leaving Michael and Star behind her.

"Call it a night? It's not even midnight!" Michael told her, shouting to be heard with a little frown on his face.

"Concert's shit, Mikey" Paul said with a shrug, another cigarette hanging from his mouth.

With David leading, the group walked easily through the now almost baying crowd.

They ascended the chipped concrete steps, finally emerging into the bright, familiar neon lights of the boardwalk. The crowds here were scattered and, with no shelter, the wind blew comfortingly around them.

Elizabeth looked at the four boys ahead of her and registered once again just how smoothly they moved through the crowd, how smoothly they walked.

They seemed so untouchable.

She moved to catch up to them before Michael grabbed her wrist, stilling her.

"Liz, let's stay?"

"Michael, I know you said it's not even midnight but Sammy will be home soon. Mom's probably already home…" Elizabeth told her brother discreetly, having shaken herself free of her thoughts about the four boys she wanted to join. She really wasn't ready to end the night but she knew it was time to leave. She would feel terrible if Sammy was back before them, he was really bothered by Michael's behavior from the night before.

Star was standing beside Michael, watching him.

"Well yeah but I don't really want to leave yet" Michael said not quite as quietly.

He gestured to Star, "Star and I were going to get dinner. Do we have to go together?"

He wanted her to walk back to their house alone this late at night? She didn't know how she felt about it, sure, she wasn't a baby but still. They looked at each other for a few seconds before Michael sighed a little, "can't you just go home without me? Please"

His eyes were begging her.

"We'll take you back" David announced and Elizabeth jumped a little, facing him.

The four boys were standing close and had clearly been listening to their conversation.

She flushed a little bit.

Before she could protest, Paul said "the boardwalk's cool an all but there are some places you don't wanna be alone in"

Marko grinned.

Elizabeth and Michael didn't notice the fierce stare that David had fixed on Star. She cleared her throat delicately before saying, "Paul's right, Elizabeth. It's safer for someone to go with you"

Michael opened his mouth, perhaps feeling a twinge of guilt and readying himself to call it a night too but as Star's hand fixed on his, he fell silent.

"No, I don't want to put you out" she protested again, feeling guilty for the attention she was receiving. All eyes were fixed on her, "really it's not a far walk and the road there is practically deserted"

"I'll take you on my bike, then" Dwayne said easily.

"Oh but-" Elizabeth began, feeling grateful, incredibly grateful but still embarrassed by the attention she was receiving.

She really didn't want to come across as rude.

"I drank most of his beer" Paul assured with natural ease, seemingly reading her thoughts.

"Sorry" Elizabeth grimaced, she looked at Dwayne and nodded, "that's really kind. Thank you, I appreciate it"

"Don't apologize for taking your safety seriously, Elizabeth" David told her with a seriousness of his own.

"I parked this way" Dwayne gestured away.

"See you soon, girl" Paul said.

"I'll be back a little later, we won't have a long dinner" Michael promised, holding Star's hand.

"Don't be a stranger" Marko said to Elizabeth as Michael and Star walked away.

She smiled at them, "I won't. And thanks again, tonight really was a lot of fun"