A/N: I'm back! I'm sorry this took so long but this was seriously the hardest chapter I've ever written. My computer has been resurrected from the dead, so hopefully that'll mean good things for my updates. Of course, introductions to new characters is always hard--especially in this case, when you finally meet the girl Adam spends at least the next couple of years with (I haven't decided whether the two of them survive UCLA/University of Minnesota.) Tom is purposely made a little hazy in this chapter (Pilar is supposed to overshadow her), so don't worry, some real conversation between Tom and Adam occurs later (If anyone remembers from "Wanting What You Have," Tom reminisces about how Adam carried her back to her dorm after she sprained her ankle at the dance...So, obviously, there's going to be a cute chapter where that happens.)

Adam was lacing up his sneakers after practice when Scooter plopped down next to him on the bench, just finished with his post-practice shower. Since the incident with Adam's locker, the two of them inhabited lockers next to each other. Adam enjoyed it immensely and Scooter felt like Adam was the little brother he never had.

"Julie and I are going to head over to the Winter Dance tonight. Do you want to tag along?" Scooter busily dried his hair with the towel as Adam straightened out the legs of his khaki slacks.

Adam cocked his head to the side and squinted one of his eyes. "Oh, I don't know. The rest of the Ducks are off on that Chemistry field trip all weekend so I wouldn't have anyone to hang out with."

Scooter gestured toward his locker. "Hand me my deodorant over there." Adam leaned back, grabbed the deodorant and threw it over to Scooter. "Come on, I could totally set you up. There are a bunch of girls who would love to keep you company for the night, and I wouldn't even have to pay them."

Adam chucked a towel towards Scooter's head. "That was very funny, Scooter. I should give you the address to Reader's Digest. They pay a lot of money for funny things. Actually, I'm not sure if I even forgive you for the last time you tried to set me up."

Scooter gave Adam an expression of mock innocence. "Oh? And what was wrong with Vanessa Wallace? I thought that she was VERY nice."

Adam laughed. "Vanessa tried to rip off my pants that night! I don't know about you, but that is not my definition of nice. I mean, those were my favorite pants."

Scooter dug through the pile of clothes in his locker and found his wallet. A long accordion-like plastic sleeve full of photos flapped out. Scooter studied one with interest. "How about Viviane Baxter?"

Adam barely looked up from the gym bag he was neatly arranging. "Scratch that. I have Trig with her and she has been stalking Nick for the past year and a half. It's alarming."

"Hmm, we'd better not tell Keller that—I think at Miss Trammel's School of Manners they teach girls how to rip the trachea out of the throat of a 'home-wrecker' with their bare hands," Scooter commented before moving on to the next photo. "Rachel Covington?"

The expression in Adam's eyes darkened. "Lunch Box's sister? Let's not go there. Why are we even doing this? I haven't even agreed to go yet."

Scooter ignored him as he suddenly spotted a photo and pointed at it with sheer confidence. "Here we go—Pilar Osario. God, I almost forgot how hot she is. Banks, you've got to meet her. As a fellow dude, you cannot say no."

The prospect of meeting Pilar Osario didn't appeal to Adam any more than meeting Viviane or Rachel, but he remembered everything Scooter had done for him ever since Adam had been at Eden Hall. He hated to say no to Scooter and going to this dance was the least he could do. "Okay, fine, I'll go. But I won't promise to have fun—you got me?"

Scooter smiled as he buttoned his shirt. He knew that Adam was going to go—getting the official yes was just a technicality. Adam added, "You know, one of these days I'm going to say no."

Adam sat alone in the Eden Hall dance floor on one of the tacky tables scattered around the place. Well, Adam thought, I knew that this was going to suck and I have not been disappointed. Scooter and Julie were busy dancing and laughing on the dance floor. This Pilar Osario was nowhere to be seen. Adam looked around for company of any kind.

He spotted Nick Harden and Ryan Hudson, who after Scooter were the coolest guys on the team. Adam liked them well enough and started to walk over in that direction. He stopped suddenly as he spotted Keller and Georgina with them—the infamous girlfriends. Keller looked pissed—like she had just found out that Viviane Baxter has been stalking Nick for a year and a half. Adam had to suppress a laugh as the normally tough-as-nails Varsity hockey players looked slightly scared. Nonetheless, Adam recognized that heading over there would not be the best idea in the world.

Erica Li was in all of Adam's honors classes and they usually paired up to work on school projects together. She was the sophomore class president and lived for these cheesy dances. Her school-inspired enthusiasm could possibly lift Adam's mood. However, as he walked closer Adam saw that Erica's face was attached to something—some junior's face. Oops, bad idea. Adam plopped back down into his chair, a little dejected. Right now, Adam would welcome the idea of meeting Pilar Osario just to alleviate his boredom.

Just then Scooter and Julie stumbled up to his table, practically drunk in each other's company. Adam was vaguely jealous of their relationship. He went on a lot of dates—Scooter had them coming in a plentiful supply—but none of those girls lasted more than one day. They were all gorgeous girls, but they were all the same. Adam had trouble telling them all apart sometimes.

"Hey, Banks, bored enough yet?" Scooter smiled as he chugged back a cup of watered down punch with one hand, the other arm never leaving Julie's shoulder. "Pilar's here finally and she's looking forward to meeting you—God knows why, though."

So Adam tailed Scooter as they pushed through the crowd. Here we go, Adam thought, but then anything would be better than looking like a loser alone at his table. Adam stopped in his tracks when he spotted the girl that Scooter indicated. Scooter knew a lot of pretty girls, but this one was a stunner. Pilar was a young Penelope Cruz if anything, with the same plump lips and Spanish features.

Scooter gestured. "Pilar Osario, this is Banksie—or, I'm sorry, Adam Banks."

Pilar offered Adam a hand to shake and said in a surprisingly normal voice, "Hey, Scooter, you've got me a white guy just like you, eh? I can't take this boy home to my abuela—she'd wave her rosary beads around and curse me for bringing a pale demon." Adam couldn't help but smile at her wicked grin.

Scooter wasn't finished, however. "And, of course, this is Pilar's best friend Tom Logan."

Adam pulled his gaze from Pilar long enough to take in the other girl sitting at the table. Although Scooter obviously found Pilar the more attractive of the two, he treated Tom with more regard as evident by the bear hug they exchanged. Adam studied her with interest. Tom had an unusual face—there was no one to whom Adam could liken to her. Aquiline nose, long brown hair and brown eyes hooded by black, square-framed glasses like the pair he wore sometimes. Tom's eyes were an unusual color, but 'brown' was the extent to which Adam knew colors. She wasn't particularly pretty, but something about Tom made Adam like her. He found himself giving her a genuine smile, an odd action on his part as he was very wary of meeting new people.

So Adam found himself sitting at this table with Tom and Pilar, listening to Pilar's constant chattering. Adam liked her a lot—Pilar drew him into conversation easily and made Adam comfortable, which was a rarity.

"So, Adam, Scooter told me that you're one of his Varsity teammates."

Adam quirked an eyebrow. "I take it you don't follow the hockey team?" That seriously surprised him because at Eden Hall, everyone lived for hockey.

Pilar smiled. "If I wanted to see guys beat each other up with sticks, I'd hang out in my 'hood."

Tom, who had previously been silent all night, turned to Adam and laughed out loud. "Oh, please! Adam, don't let Pilar bull-shit you into thinking she's a hood just because she's Spanish. Pilar lives in a huge house in an upscale suburban neighborhood in Minneapolis, her dad owns Farhagard Computers and Technology and her 'abuela' is a Caucasian woman named Samantha English."

Pilar innocently twirled a piece of dark black hair around her perfectly manicured finger. "And don't you let HER think that she's always this shy and unpleasant to be around." Tom stuck her tongue out at Pilar.

Pilar's cell phone suddenly rang out and she smiled apologetically as she answered it. It was difficult to hear the conversation over the blasting music, so Adam looked over at Tom and she smiled at him. It was a nice smile, kind of tentative and unassuming. The smile made Tom look more accessible than she had all night.

"I'm sorry, guys but I have to cut out—my mom just found the bill for my Birger Christensen mink coat and she is pissed. I have to diffuse the situation at home."

Tom playfully punched Pilar on the shoulder as she said playfully in a sing- song voice, "Oooh, your mom is going to kill you!"

As Pilar stood up and collected her purse, she responded with the utmost confidence, "I'll just give her the doe eyes and that'll be the end of it. I just feel so bad that I'm leaving so early—I only just got to know Adam and we were having a good time."

Adam blushed. "Oh, it's alright. I guess we'll see each other around school then."

Pilar placed a hand on Adam's arm—he liked the feeling and it made his heart race. "No, how about we see a movie together... Next Thursday?"

Adam smiled. "Of course. See you then."

Pilar pointed her chin at Tom. "Come with?"

Tom shook her head and said simply. "I couldn't."

With Pilar's departure, Tom and Adam were left alone.