With drink in hand and pretending to be cool, Sam Hall examined the large painting on the wall. It was something modern, with lots of swirling colours and dots of scattered paint. He glanced at the title engraved on the small metal plate underneath it – The Meaning Of Life. Crinkling his nose, he stepped back to give the painted canvas a second look. Nope, he didn't get it.

"Do you like it?" asked a feminine voice behind him.

He turned to find the petite, dark-haired girl who had caught his eye yesterday morning. The one who had been smacking the hell out of her teammate. "Not really. Do you?"

Pursing her lips, she eyed the art carefully, taking her time in forming an opinion. "No, it's crap," she finally stated. He laughed as she extended her hand towards him. "I'm Summer Roberts."

He shook the offered hand. "Sam Hall."

"Your team did really well. You came in, what, third?"

"Fourth," he corrected. "How about you?"

"Sixth."

He could see she wasn't too pleased with that outcome although, considering how many teams had been competing, it was actually quite good. His suspicion was confirmed when she continued on. "I know we could have done better. A lot of my answers got overruled by people who thought they knew better. But what the hell, I proved I could do it anyway. I can't even believe I'm doing this. I'm not really the brainy type. My boyfriend is, but I've never cared less about school." She paused to gulp her drink. "Am I talking too much? I am, aren't I. Anyway, I just wish we'd done a little better, that's all."

He wasn't one to talk at length with strangers, but he was enjoying her company. Of course, he reasoned, she was doing ninety percent of the talking. "Maybe you should have smacked some sense into the other people on your team too," he joked.

She laughed, looking slightly embarrassed. "So you did see that. Well, Chucky deserved it. I'll bet you got that question right, though."

"Yeah," he admitted. The answer had come to him in the last two seconds, just barely giving Laura enough time to write it down. Scanning the room now, he wondered what was taking her so long. He hated going to receptions like this. Mingling with people he didn't know and trying to make small talk. This girl Summer wasn't so bad but still, he wished Laura would get here already.

Then, suddenly, he saw her coming towards them. His eyes widened and though he wasn't conscious of it, his jaw dropped just enough for his lips to part in wonder. She looked stunning. Usually, she wore her hair in a simple ponytail at school. This was the first time he could remember seeing it long and flowing like this. And the dress was...well, it just made her look so...um, grown up.

"Hi Sam."

Man, she was just glowing. He continued to be mesmerized for a prolonged moment and then realized the two girls were staring at him with expectation, waiting for an introduction. Trying to recover gracefully, he quickly said, "Laura, this is Summer. Summer, this is one of my teammates, Laura Chapman."

"Nice to meet you," Laura said brightly, her eyes darting around the room with excitement. "Isn't this place amazing? I can't imagine going to school in such a wonderful building."

"I've seen better," Summer stated, with obvious disdain.

"Well, I think it's beautiful. Sam, would you dance with me?"

He gulped and ducked his head. "Oh no, I don't think so." His heart leapt at the thought of holding her close but his brain rang warning bells about his two left feet.

"Why not? It will be..."

Her sentence was cut short as someone bumped into her. The next sound emitted from her lips was a gasp of dismay as a cold drink sloshed onto her satiny dress.

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry." The apology came from a lanky, curly haired boy who looked completely mortified.

"Cohen, you doorknob!" Summer exclaimed. Setting her glass on a nearby table, both girls tried to inspect the damage.

"It wasn't my fault! Someone bumped into me first." He turned pleading eyes towards Sam, gesturing towards him with one hand. "You saw it, didn't you?"

Actually, he hadn't, since he'd been too busy inspecting the floor after Laura's dance request. But he didn't mind helping the guy out. "Yeah, it wasn't his fault," he piped up.

But their exchange had mostly fallen on deaf ears and Summer grabbed Laura's hand. "Come on, there's a washroom down this way. I don't think it will stain."

Sam could only watch as Laura was whisked away. He eventually turned his attention back to the newcomer. "So, you know Summer?"

"Yeah, she's my girlfriend."

Sam wasn't sure, but he thought he'd heard an extra emphasis on 'girlfriend'. He searched for something more to say. "She seems nice."

"Nice." The word was repeated and briefly pondered over. "No, not really. But that's part of her charm. I'm Seth, by the way."

They shook hands and after introductions were out of the way, lapsed into an awkward silence. In bits and spurts they talked a little of where they were from, what they'd thought of the decathlon, the unending downpour of rain that seemed to have engulfed Manhattan. But mainly, they waited for the two girls to return.

Sam held back a sigh of relief when he spotted them making their way through the crowd. Summer was practically marching and even though he'd just met her, he could see a troublesome gleam in her eye. "Guys, I have a great idea," she announced. "Let's blow this joint and head to Greenwich Village."

Seth responded with the exact thoughts Sam was having. "We're not supposed to go around on our own. Just back to the hotel."

"Who's gonna know? They won't actually check up on us. And get this, Laura and I both have this weird craving for peanut butter. I know just the place to get some."

"I don't know." Sam spoke softly, torn between being the obedient kid and wanting to rebel at the same time.

Summer breezily changed her tactic, placing an arm around Laura's waist. "Fine, stay here and wallow in the retro music. We'll go on our own."

Sam wondered how Laura felt about breaking the rules. She hadn't contributed anything to this conversation. As he glanced over at her, he was puzzled by her intense stare. She wasn't smiling, but was regarding him with a serious, perturbed gaze. "What?"

She blinked her large, doe-like eyes. "Nothing."

"You want to do this?"

As if snapping out of a trance, she finally smiled at him. "Yeah, I do. Come on, Sam, let's do something fun for once."

He felt himself caving in and wondered what his father would think. Damn, who the hell cared what he would think? "Okay, let's go."

Leaving the crowded room behind, Sam breathed easier in the open hallway. Grabbing their coats, they headed down the marble staircase, Summer and Seth leading the way. He could hear their voices echoing off the walls but couldn't make out what they were saying. However, he saw Summer waving her arms around and it sounded like an animated discussion, if not an argument. "Does she know where she's going?" he had to ask, as Laura bounded down the steps next to him.

"Yeah, she's been to New York before with her father."

Something brushed against his hand, and then he felt it being clasped by her slender fingers. Startled, he turned his head but she was looking downwards, concentrating on the stairs beneath her feet. He decided to do the same, before he tripped his way down. Enjoying the warmth transmitted by the contact, he reasoned that she simply wanted a steady hand to guide her down safely. But after coming to the ground floor and the exit doors, she didn't pull away. And he didn't let go.

A/N: Thanks to everyone for the reviews. Glad you've been enjoying it so far. And to SparkingDiamond - you were right about the blue-eyed boy. However, he's my baby, so hands off! ;-)