Sean shifted awkwardly to the music, shuffling his feet and grabbing at the stiff collar or his button down white dress shirt. He made a gagging noise, and glared at Riley. "I hate you."

Riley, who was gazing around the crowded ballroom, looking for Calvin, finally glanced at him. "Hmm? Did you say something?"

Sean sighed. "Riley, this is the last time you drag me anywhere, ok? You've had your little fun with this whole blackmailing thing, but come on. You can't exploit people like this. It's wrong."

Riley looked at him and smiled like a Cheshire cat. "Of course I can," she purred matter-of-factly, smacking her heavily glossed lips together and blowing him a kiss. "And I'm not really forcing you to be here. Subconsciously, you want to be here. Just admit it. You love spending time with me."

"What world do you live in?"

"My world," she replied simply. She stepped closer to him and looped her spider-like arms around his neck. Sean caught a whiff of her fruity perfume, and for a split second, he thought maybe he actually missed holding her. Maybe he missed being with her. But he shoved that thought away and put on his most disgusted face. He hated following her around like some kind of man-servant, all because she had a measly picture of him kissing another girl. "Maybe I haven't made myself clear, or maybe you just didn't understand. Let me put this in the simplest way that I can. I'm using you to make Calvin jealous." Sean rolled his eyes. "Hey, it's not easy holding onto an older man like him. Well, if you're not me, that is. See, I know how to play the game. He probably thinks he's the one stringing me along, but in reality, I'm the one holding all the cards here. You get what I'm saying?"

"Loud and clear."

Riley smiled at him and nodded. "Good." She inched closer to him. "This is just like old times, isn't it?" she whispered, running a hand up and down his back. Sean stiffened, dropped his arms from her waist, and stepped back. "Want a drink?" he asked flatly. Riley clenched her jaw. No matter what she did, Sean never responded to her. When she pushed, he'd just push back harder. Riley was getting pretty fucking sick of chasing after Sean Cameron. "Fine," she snapped. "But I don't get you, Sean. I know you want me. You can keep fooling yourself into thinking you don't, but you miss what we had."

"Get over yourself," Sean said. "I hope you don't really think I'm all hung-up on you. Because believe me, I'm not. Now, what do you want to drink?"

Riley sniffed. "Whatever," she muttered. Sean walked off, and she watched him, biting her lip. It was amazing how Sean could make her feel like shit all the time. He wasn't even trying, for God's sake, and he made her feel so worthless. Riley stood on the dance floor, tapping her foot and watching as Sean struck up a conversation with a girl at the bar while he waited for their drinks. She was just about to stomp over there when she heard a loud commotion near the door, so she turned to see what the big deal was. She saw Mrs. Turner, Calvin's fierce-looking wife, storming toward her, followed by two frantic staff members. "Slut!" Mrs. Turner yelled.

It took Riley a moment to realize she was talking to her. "Excuse me?"

"I know," Georgia hissed, her clear blue eyes flashing. She had this crazy, deranged expression in them, and for a second, Riley was actually afraid. "I know, you little harlot. I know about you and my husband."

Everyone had stopped dancing and had turned to watch the unfolding spectacle. Riley was mildly shocked, but she regained her composure quickly. "You must have me confused with someone else. Sorry." She turned to walk away, but Georgia grabbed her arm and spun her back around. "Let go, you old hag! I could have you arrested for assault!" Riley cried, wiggling her arm free. "Jesus Christ, you're fucking insane!"

"And I could have you arrested for prostituting," Georgia said. "I can't believe my husband has been seeing a little whore like you."

Ok, now everyone, including the fucking bartenders, were watching. Riley usually adored a crowd, but this was just plain awful. "I have no idea what you're talking about," Riley snapped, placing her hands on her hips. "You're obviously looking for someone to blame just because you can't hold onto your husband. And I don't appreciate being verbally harassed because your husband can't keep it in his pants."

"How dare you," Georgia said, taking another step toward her. Her expertly-dyed red hair was a mess, and she looked ready to kill someone. "You don't get it, do you?" she said slowly. "You've ruined my whole life. You've ruined my whole family. Calvin is leaving, because of you."

"I still don't…..wait, what?" Riley asked. Rewind…Calvin's what?

Georgia's eyes filled with tears. "He's leaving me. He's leaving his family to be with his little mistress. He's throwing away our whole life because of you. We were so happy." She took a deep, shaky breath. "But you don't even care. You don't even care that you've destroyed my family. This was all fun for you, wasn't it?"

For the first time in seventeen years, Riley was actually speechless. "But…but…" she finally stuttered out. "I don't even want Calvin." I want Sean, she thought.

And then Georgia threw out her fist and punched Riley in the face. The two staff members, who had just been standing there, as stunned as everyone, finally jumped into action, and dragged Georgia away, kicking and crying. Riley just stood there, aware that about a thousand accusative eyes were on her, and she could hear them all whispering, probably about what a teenage whore she was. Oh, my, God, she thought stupidly, holding her throbbing cheek. Did that actually just happen?

Riley turned and ran off the dance floor. She stopped when she saw Sean standing there, staring at her in amazement. Bu then she turned and ran out of the room. "Riley, wait!" Sean called, following her.

A few minutes later, Riley was standing outside, inhaling a few breaths of the cool, autumn air. She leaned against one of the large white pillars, and saw Sean walk up. She sighed. "I don't want to hear it, ok? She said glumly, running her hands over her face. "I was just publicly humiliated and outed as a slut, so fuck off."

Sean shrugged. "I just came to see if you were ok," he said honestly. "I take it that was Calvin's wife?"

"Gee, how did you know?" Riley said sarcastically, staring up at the moon. "I can't believe she just made that whole scene in front of everyone in town. Couldn't she have, like, screamed at me on the phone?"

"I have a feeling she was going for a big public blow-up," Sean pointed out. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and offered them to her. She eyed them. "I thought ever since you started seeing Emma again you quit smoking. Remember, you're going for saint-hood now?"

Sean smirked. "Eh, mostly. I don't really smoke them. I just carry them around, in case of, like, an emergency." Riley smiled and pulled one out. "Please tell me you have a lighter." Sean nodded and pulled one out. He lit it for her, and she took a long drag. "So, um, not to sound like a jerk, but-"

"I totally deserved that?" Riley interrupted, nodding. "I know. Thank you, Captain Obvious, but I'm aware this is all my doing." Just then, her cell phone buzzed, and she glance at it. "Calvin," she muttered. "What a fucking idiot." And she hurled her phone into a bush. "I'm seventeen, and he really thinks I'm going to run off with him? He obviously has no idea what he'd be getting himself into by doing that."

Sean smirked and watched as Riley smoked her cigarette. "You know, you're amazing. I'm not even gonna lie. I've never meant a girl like you."

"Is that a compliment or an insult?"

"I'm not really sure," Sean admitted with a shrug. They stood in silence for a few minutes.

"I'm not a bad person," Riley blurted out suddenly. "I mean, I don't think I am. I'm can be pretty fucked up sometimes, but I really feel….bad, you know?" She tossed her cigarette on the ground and smashed it with her heel. "Like, I didn't mean to ruin that lady's life. I just needed something to do after school. God, I'm such a bitch!"

"Uh…yeah."

Riley glared at him, although she knew he was only being honest. "Well, I intend to never see Calvin again. Ever. I've learned my lesson."

Sean smirked. "Wow, what a touching moment in the life of Riley Corey." Riley smirked and slapped him playfully in the shoulder. "Hey, take it easy." He reached out and lightly touched her cheek. "You're going to get a nice shiner. You should probably get some ice or a steak or something."

"I'm not putting raw meat on my face," Riley said. "I have ice at home. Hey, you should come over. We could watch a movie or something."

Sean kicked at a pebble. 'Nah. I'm tired, and I should get home."

"Oh," Riley said, disappointed. The idea of going back to a large, empty house pretty much sucked, but she could understand why Sean didn't want to go. He probably thinks I'm going to rape him, she thought. But honestly, she'd really just wanted to watch a movie. After the debacle inside, the idea of touching any guy made her ill. "Ok. I'll go tell Bernard to pull the car around. He'll drop you off." She turned and began to walk down the stone steps. "Wait, Riley." She turned. "It's got to be an action movie, not a sappy romance. And I demand that popcorn be made."

Riley smiled at him. "I'll pop it myself….alright, I'll probably get the cook to do it, but whatever."

"And no funny business?"

"And no funny business," She promised, and for once, she was telling the truth.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the curtains and into Riley's room, and she groggily opened one eye. And she immediately smiled. She couldn't remember the last time she'd woken up and had something to be really happy about. Last night had been the best night ever. She and Sean had just hung out in her large, comfy screening room, watching movies until two in the morning. And they'd actually talked, like normal people talked. Like, they were actually friends. It was so bizarre, but it was so wonderfully perfect at the same time.

Riley closed her eyes again, replaying her night with Sean over and over again in her head. But suddenly she heard her bedroom door swing open, and a second later, she felt her bedspread being yanked off of her. "Hey!" she mumbled, flipping over and squinting up at her mom. "Hello, sleeping."

"It's eight-thirty. You're late for school," her mother said, dropping the bedspread on the floor.

Since when did her mother care about her attending school? Last year Riley hadn't gone to school for two whole months, and her mother hadn't even blinked an eye. "So?" Riley snapped. "I'll go in a little bit. Don't have a cow."

"Are you calling me fat?"

Riley rolled her eyes. Sometimes talking to her mom was like communicating with a brick wall. "No," she said with an irritated sigh. "It's an expression."

"Well, fine," her mother said angrily, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm sure it is. Riley, what the hell were you doing last night? You made such a scene. I was mortified. People were talking about it for the rest of the night! Oh, my, God, you have a huge bruise on your face. Now everyone is going to know."

Riley wanted to slam her head against the wall. "Look, it was no big deal. I'll just cover it up with some makeup."

"No big deal? You looked like a slut, sleeping with someone's husband! Haven't I taught you right from wrong? Haven't I taught you anything?"

"No, mother, you taught me to do whatever I wanted, but to make sure people didn't find out about it. Like you do. Sorry I disgraced the whole family, since we had such a sterling reputation in the first place." Riley said sarcastically, sitting up. "You're just mad because I made you look bad."

"You always make me look bad," her mother hissed. "Look, you can fuck around all you want. God knows you don't listen to me anyway. But the first rule of staying on the top social tier of this town is making sure you keep your personal affairs personal. Next time, be smarter. A huge public embarrassment like that just reeks of scandal. I can't have you ruining the family name, not after how hard your father and I have worked for it. Now get up and get dressed." Her mother turned and stormed out of the room.

Riley sat there, amazed. Her mother didn't give a shit that she had been sleeping with an older man. Her mother probably wouldn't give a shit if she knew Riley was snorting cocaine up her nose everyday. The only thing her mother cared about was keeping their reputation as squeaky clean as possible. Riley stood up and walked over to her closet, opened it, and pulled out the first thing she saw. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and winced when she saw the large, purplish-black bruise on her left cheek. Riley pulled on her clothes, ran a brush through her long hair, and plopped on the largest pair of sunglasses she could find. Then she turned and flounced out of her bedroom, vowing to forget last night had even happened, except for her amazing time with Sean. Ancient history, she thought.

Ellie sat hunched over her desk in Math class, staring blankly at the three-page test sitting in front of her. Holy shit, she thought stupidly. She couldn't even focus on the paper, but she was pretty sure she couldn't answer a single question. She tapped her pencil against the desk. She was so completely drunk. She ran her hands over her face and took a deep breath. Write down something, she told herself. Ellie scribbled something down in the first box.

She stopped and glanced around. Mr. Armstrong was sitting behind his desk, grading papers and not paying any attention to her. She leaned over and tried to read Marco's paper, who was already halfway down with the test. Marco saw her and frowned. He covered his test with his hands. "What are you doing?"

Ellie bit her lip. "I need the answers. I forgot to study." And I'm completely wasted.

"No. That's cheating."

"Duh," Ellie whispered, and Marco frowned even harder. "Please. I'm like, failing this place already, so I kind of need your help in like, finishing this or something. I can't get another bad grade in History."

"What? This is Math. You're not even making sense." A second later, he sighed. "Fine. Go ahead."

Ellie nodded in relief. Although she had most stopped hanging out with Marco since she had gotten back, she could always count on him to be completely loyal. After all, he did kind of owe her for the time she had pretended to be his girlfriend so people wouldn't know he was gay. She began copying his answers down. She was almost on number six when she heard Mr. Armstrong clear his throat. "Ellie Nash, please go the office."

Shit, Ellie thought, glancing at Marco, who refused to even look at her. "Ok," she muttered, picking up her bag and setting down her pencil. She stood up and walked toward the door. Mr. Armstrong stood up and followed her. "Class, Mrs. Kenny will be watching you. I'll be right back."

They walked in silence for to the office, and Ellie had a hard time walking in a straight line. Mr. Armstrong noticed, and frowned. They finally reached the office, and Armstrong told Ellie to have a seat outside Mr. Raditch's office. Ellie took a seat and leaned her head against the wall, closing her eyes. She had to sober up. She knew she was royally fucked over and in a shitload of trouble, but she still couldn't focus. A few minutes later, Armstrong reappeared. "You can go in now."

A minute later Ellie was sitting in front of Mr. Raditch, who was staring at her. It made her really uncomfortable. "Ellie, there seems to be a bit of a problem."

"Really?"

"Yes, really," Raditch replied, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms over his chest. "We don't tolerate cheating in this school. It's unacceptable. Mr. Armstrong seems to think you were cheating on your Math test. Were you?"

Ellie bit her lip and fiddled with the silver ring on her thumb. "Uh…what was the question again?"

"Were you cheating on your Math test?" Ellie nodded slowly. "Ellie, Mr. Armstrong seems to think you've been drinking. Is that true also?" Ellie blinked. "I know you've had a tough time over the last couple of months, and we've been trying to cut you some slack. This isn't the first time teachers have noticed you've been a little…out of it." He sighed. "Well, we're searching your locker as we speak." He stood up and adjusted his tie. "Come with me."

They walked out of the office and down the hallway toward Ellie's locker. Class was still going on, so the halls were empty and quiet. Ellie saw Mr. Armstrong at her locker, going through her things. Stupid bastard, she thought. They stood in silence and watched, until Armstrong pulled out a clear, empty bottle. "Vodka," he said. He turned to Raditch. "That's it."

Raditch nodded. "Ellie, would you open your bag, please?"

Ellie hugged the bag to her chest. "Uh…there's nothing in here." She was a shitty liar.

"I'll decide that," he said. Ellie hesitantly opened her bag, and Raditch peeked in. Ellie knew there were at least two half-full bottles of alcohol in there. "Ok. Ellie, I'm sorry, but we have a zero-tolerance policy on alcohol. You should clean out your locker now, before class is over. I'm going to have to expel you."

Riley stood at the back of the auditorium, watching as people hurried around, prepping themselves for their auditions. Losers, she thought, swinging her book bag over her shoulder and glancing around. She saw Emma sitting next to super-nerd Liberty in the front row. She also saw Jay hovering in the back row by himself, staring at Emma. She smirked and plopped down next to him. "Hey, Romeo. Why, whoever are you looking at?"

Jay shook his head and stared down at the script in his hands. "Riley," he muttered. "What a nice surprise. Last time I talked to you, you were screaming at me."

Riley propped her feet up on the back of the seat in front of her and stretched her long arms over her head. She knew Jay was staring at her chest, but she didn't exactly mind, because let's face it, Jay was hot. "Eh, I've moved on. I'll always think you're a slimy ass, but I don't see why we can't be civil." He rolled his eyes. "So, why don't you go talk to her?"

"Talk to who?" He was playing dumb, which he was pretty good at, considering he was a moron to begin with.

"Emma," Riley said, as if it was the most obvious thing on Earth. "I know you have a thing for her. Look, if you want to get this part, you're going to have to make a good impression. So take off that stupid hat," she said, yanking the backwards baseball cap off his head. "And be charming, like Romeo."

"How come I can't wear my hat, but you can wear those sunglasses?" Jay replied. "We're in a dark theater. You just look stupid."

Riley frowned. "Fine." She removed the sunglasses, and Jay raised an eyebrow. "Nice shiner, there. You run your mouth and someone finally hit you. Who was it? I'd like to shake their hand."

"Shut the fuck up," Riley snapped. "It was just some girl who got in my face. This may look bad, but I kicked her ass. She's in intensive care as we speak."

"Yeah, right. Or it was a jealous wife."

"What? Who told you?"

Jay shrugged. "Clark Summers was at the country club last night. Saw the whole thing. He told our whole English class."

"Son of a bitch," Riley said, pouting. "Well, I could have kicked her ass, if I had felt like it."

"Ok!" Mrs. Kwan called out, clapping her hands. "Auditions are about to begin. I'll first be hearing from all the people trying out for Romeo and Juliet. I've paired you up, so I hope you've memorized the lines I assigned." A second later, a man hurried onstage and whispered into Mrs. Kwan's ear. "Oh, no. Again? Hold on everyone." She set her clipboard down and hurried off the stage. Riley jumped up and strolled down the aisle. It was such a madhouse that no one even noticed when she approached the stage and sneaked a peek at Kwan's clipboard. Shit, she thought when she noticed Emma and Jay hadn't been paired together. Well, that must be a typo. Riley pulled a pencil out and did some quick editing. Then she turned and skipped back down the aisle. When Mrs. Kwan reappeared, she picked up the clipboard. "Sorry about that. Ok. First up is Emily and Tommy are up first, and then Jay and Emma…" she stopped, looking confused. But then she just shook her head and continued. Riley saw Emma's mouth fall open in shock, and Jay was trying hard not to smile.

God, when I'm good, I'm really good, Riley thought.

Manny walked down the street that afternoon, clutching a heavy cardboard box in her hands. It wasn't just any box- it was the box. The box that had all of Craig's stupid belongings in it. The box that would show Craig that Manny really was moving on, even though she actually wasn't. She had really wanted to keep his stuff, but when she had started smelling Craig's shirt every night just to remember his scent, she had known it was time to stop acting so desperate and sad. She was just going to walk right up, ring the doorbell, and hand him the box. No crying or screaming or emotional outbursts.

Manny reached Craig's house, and began to cross the street.

Suddenly, a car sped out of nowhere, and Manny had to dive to avoid being another fatality of idiot drivers. She landed on the pavement with a loud thud and her elbow rammed into the ground. She lay there in complete shock as she heard the car door open and slam shut. "Holy shit. I mean, I'm sorry."

Manny rolled over onto her stomach and stared up at the stranger. "You nearly hit me with your car."

"Yeah, I know. Good thing you have such great reaction time, right?" Manny was not amused. The stranger cleared his throat. "Here. Let me help you."

Manny shook her head, flatly ignoring his hand. "No, thanks. I think you've done enough." She pulled herself up and brushed off her jeans. Her elbow throbbed painfully, and she rubbed it. "People like you should not have cars." She glanced over and saw the box lying on the ground. Everything had spilled out. She walked over and gathered everything up. The boy stood there, staring at her. Jackass, she thought, picking up the box. She gave the guy on last angry glare and stomped up Craig's driveway. She was halfway to the door when she realized the idiot was actually following her. She turned around. "Excuse me, but are you following me?"

The boy grinned lazily. "No."

Manny sniffed and kept walking. He kept following. She spun around. "Get lost, creep! You've already ripped my favorite pair of jeans, so you have no idea how pissed I am right now." The boy just smirked at her. "Ugh. What, do you want my number or something? Because I'm totally not giving it to you, so you can just dream on." Just then, she heard someone clear their throat, and she turned around. Craig was standing in the doorway, scratching his head. He is so adorable. "Craig. Hey. I just came by to drop of your things."

Craig nodded. "What's with all the yelling?"

Manny frowned. "Well, this guy," she said, nodding toward the boy. "Nearly ran me over with his car."

"God, you can be such a jackass sometimes," Craig said to the guy, who just shrugged. Manny smiled smugly at him and nodded. "Yeah, what a….wait, do you know him?"

"Oh, yeah, that's my brother," Craig said casually. The guy gave a little wave. "Wait, you don't have a brother," Manny said stupidly. The guy walked up next to her and stuck out his hand. "Parker Manning. You must be Ashley."

"No," Manny barked out. Not only had this guy almost killed her, but he was calling her Ashley. "I'm not Ashley. I'm Craig's…ex-girlfriend."

Parker squinted at her, and then looked at Craig. "Right. Ex-girlfriend Ashley. Wait…you sure you're not Ashley?"

"Well, let me check," she said, pausing for a moment. "Nope, still not Ashley."

"Manny," Craig jumped in quickly. "This is Manny."

"Aw. Right, sorry." Parker said, winking at her. Now that she looked closely at him, he did look a lot like Craig. The curly dark brown hair, the same nose, the same irresistible attractiveness…."I'm kind of a loser when it comes to names."

"Only when it comes to names?" Manny asked sarcastically. Parker smirked. "Well, I better get inside." He glanced at his watch. "I don't want to miss the game." He leaned in closer to Manny. "But you know, I'll still take your number." Manny blushed as Parker walked inside. When he was gone, Manny bit her lip. "You have a brother? Is he like, new or something?"

"No." Craig shrugged. Manny blinked. "'Well…why didn't you ever mention him?"

"Well….Parker's kind of a loser. He just got out of rehab, and he's staying with us for awhile. We're not really that close." Manny nodded. "Sorry he hit you with his car. Parker failed his driving test four times. So….you said you brought some stuff?"

"Yeah, well…I was just cleaning out my room and I found some stuff," Manny said casually, as if she rally couldn't care less. She held out the box. Giving him back his things showed him that she didn't need him in her life anymore. It showed that she was ready to move on to bigger and better things. So there, Craig, she thought.

"Oh, thanks. I have a box of your stuff, too," Craig said, disappearing for a second and reappearing with another cardboard box.

Manny's face fell, and she stared at it in disappointment. "Oh." So he was moving on pretty well, too. Great. He'd probably had that box packed since the night they broke up. It was like he couldn't get her out of his life fast enough. She dropped his box onto the ground with a bang. "Thanks," she said, grabbing the box out of his hands. "Ok, bye!" She turned to run off, because she dangerously close to bursting into tears.

"Manny, wait!" Craig called out, and she turned back around hopefully. "Uh…." Manny could tell there was so much he wanted to say. There was so much left unsaid between them, but neither of them had had the guts to say anything. Craig rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "Sorry about Parker."

Manny swallowed back disappointment. "It's cool." And a second later, she walked off.

"Ok," Mrs. Kwan said, scribbling something down on her clipboard. "Emma and Jay, you're up." Emma and Jay both climbed onto the stage, while Riley lurked behind the curtain, basking in her handiwork. Mrs. Kwan glared at Jay suspiciously. "Glad to see you're trying new things, Jay."

"Well, I love the theater," Jay replied with a big smile. Mrs. Kwan rolled her eyes. "I'm sure. You may start."

"Good pilgrim…" Emma began, and Riley was pleased to hear that Emma was great.

"Have not saint lips…." Jay began, and then stopped and swallowed hard. Riley gripped the edge of the curtain. No! Jay was about to blow it, and therefore, fuck up all her plans. He's such a retard, she thought angrily, grabbing a script from some girl who was practicing nearby. "Hey!" the girl hissed. Riley ignored her and flipped to the scene. "And holy pilgrims, too!" she hissed. Jay glanced over Emma's shoulder and made brief eye contact with her, and then nodded.

"And holy pilgrims, too!"

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer."

"O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; they pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair," Riley whispered. Jay repeated the lines. Emma turned and glared at her. "What are you doing?" she mouthed. Riley shrugged innocently. "Saints do not move, though grant for prayers sake," Emma said, turning back to Jay. They finished the scene, with Riley whispering Jay all his lines. Then her cue came, and Riley hurried onstage. "Madam, your mother craves a word with you," she said in her best British accent, and she added a quick courtesy.

"And scene!" Kwan called out, clapping. "Excellent! Next!"

Once they were backstage, Emma placed her hands on her hips and glared at Riley. "Why were you helping Jay?"

"I felt bad. He's kind of a loser, you know," Riley said simply, taking a sip from her water bottle.

"Well, stop it," Emma hissed. We don't want him to actually get the part, do we?" Maybe you don't, but I sure do, Riley thought. She shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. He was really good out there. I think he'd be a perfect Romeo to your Juliet. The sexual tension was just crackling out there." Emma looked ready to murder her. "Uh…just kidding! Of course I hope Jay doesn't get the part. No more helping Jay. Ever." Emma nodded and walked away. Riley smiled. Jay walked by, and she stopped him. "Hey, want to practice lines with me, since you know, you're such a fucking idiot and can't remember them?"

"Sure," Jay said, but he glanced at her skeptically. "But why are you helping me out?"

"I guess I just have such a big heart," Riley said innocently. "And besides, you're going to make the best Romeo ever."

Manny leaned against the counter at The Dot, watching as Spinner scraped off the grill. "Having fun?"

Spin stopped and wiped off his forehead with a dish towel. "Definitely. There's nothing I'd rather be doing than scraping cheese remains off a grill." Manny smiled. "I'm working overtime so I can get Paige a nice gift for our anniversary. No pain, no…..what's the rest of it?"

"I think it's no pain, no gain," Manny said. Spin nodded and continued scrapping. Manny watched him, feeling slightly bad. After all, she knew Paige was pregnant with someone else's baby, and here Spin was, talking about how hard he was working for her. Poor Spin. He was hopelessly stupid, but he had a good heart. A heart Paige was in the process of breaking. "Want to order now?" Spin asked, grabbing a pad. "I can take your order."

"I'd like a double cheeseburger with fries and a strawberry milkshake," she said, and Spin scribbled it down. He walked off to place the order, and someone plopped down into the stool next to Manny. "Hey, what a small world!"

Manny looked at Parker in disdain. "Oh. It's you."

"Yeah, it's me," he said playfully. "So, anything you recommend?"

"I recommend you leave."

"You're so volatile. I like that." He picked up a menu and skimmed over it. "Seriously, I'm sorry I almost hit you. I'm not the best driver, but I'm working on it."

"I heard," Manny said, and Spin came by and set down her milkshake. She fiddled with the straw. "Craig said you failed your test four times."

"Really?" Parker said, glancing at her. He set down his menu. "And what else did Craig say about me?"

"Not much. Except I know you're his brother, you're a bad driver, and you just got out of rehab."

Parker winced. "It's all true, unfortunately."

"Why'd you go to rehab?" Manny blurted out. Parker shrugged. "I had a problem."

"Oh…so, can you just check yourself into places like that?" she asked casually, sipping her milkshake.

Another waiter came over and Parker gave his order. After she left, he turned to her. "Why? Do you have a problem?" Manny didn't say anything. Parker nodded. "I could tell." Manny rolled her eyes. "Seriously. You're nose is all red and your lips are chapped. I'm not stupid." Manny turned away. "Alright, I'm not going talk about it. It's fine. So…what's the deal with you and my brother?"

"We broke up," she said flatly.

"What happened?"

"Nothing, really," Manny said with a shrug. "We just couldn't handle each other. Actually, I don't think he could handle me. I did some stupid stuff." Her meal arrived, and she laughed. "God, I'm not even hungry anymore." A minute later, Parker's food arrived. "So, how old are you?"

"I'm nineteen," Parker said, squirting some ketchup onto his plate. "Almost twenty. But I feel a lot older sometimes."

Manny stared at him with a little smile on her face. He ate a French-fry and looked at her. "What?"

"You talk just like Craig," she said, shaking her head. "Sorry, I have Craig on the brain." When didn't she have Craig on the brain?

"Craig's a cool kid. I mean, he doesn't really like me much, but that's ok. He's got his head on right, though, even though he's been through a lot. He's a tough little guy." Manny nodded, picking at her hamburger and looking sad. "I guess me talking about how great Craig is isn't really helping, huh?" Manny shook her head. Parker set down his hamburger. "Hey, you want to go someplace?"

Manny thought about it. She'd only meant him two hours ago, but she felt like she could trust him completely. And she hated to admit it, but she really liked him. Why not? And in Manny's mind, running of her with ex-boyfriend's brother seemed perfectly fine. She didn't really want to go home, so she might as well. "Sure. Where?"

"It's a surprise," Parker said with a smile. Manny smiled back. She loved surprises.

Sean walked into the crowded Metropolitan, which had been surprisingly easy to get into. All he had to do was flash his fake I.D and give the bouncer a bored look and he was in. Some girl knocked into him, giggled, and staggered off, and Sean was suddenly reminded why he loathed clubs. Not only were they overcrowded and hot, but they contained some of the most idiotic people in the world. Well, it didn't matter, because he wasn't here for a good time. He was simply here to get Ellie to at least listen to him. He finally spotted a flash of red hair, and saw Ellie standing in front of the stage, gabbing excitedly with another girl. The band was setting up onstage. Sean stood there stupidly, playing his options over in his head. He could walk over there now and demand he talk to her. Or he could wait until after the band played, and pretend he just coincidentally ran into her. While he was thinking, someone swaggered up to him.

"Sean, what the hell are you doing here?" Riley asked playfully. She was wearing heavy combat boots, pleated skirt, and a sparkly halter top. "Stalking me now?" She took a sip of her martini and smiled innocently at him.

Sean wasn't surprised to find Riley at the Metropolitan, because it seemed like wherever Sean went, Riley just magically appeared. He shrugged. "Not exactly. Did you use your fake I.D to get in, too?" Placing an age on Riley was a tricky thing, because she had the fresh-faced innocence of a twelve-year-old, but she also oozed the confidence and sex of a twenty-something.

Riley snorted. "For your information, I don't need a fake I.D. I know people. I get around."

"Yeah, I know," Sean replied with a smirk. Riley frowned. "Not like that, you pervert. Let me guess- you're looking for some ass?"

Sean rolled his eyes. Actually, he hadn't been with anyone in awhile, ever since he'd made that resolution to be a faithful boyfriend. He'd been too preoccupied worrying about Ellie and fending off an over-sexed Riley to look for a random hookup. "No. I'm just here to enjoy the band."

"Really. So you like the Runaway Boys?"

"Uh…sure." Who? He thought. "Do you?"

"Not really…but I have a friend in the band."

"Who?"

"Brice, the lead singer. The guy's going to be huge someday," she informed him, glancing at the stage. "Plus, he always has the best shit in town."

Brice- Ellie's boyfriend. It clicked for Sean. "Really? That's cool. So what's this Brice guy's story?" he asked, trying to seem conversational. Riley narrowed her eyes. "Ah, Brice is Ellie's current boy toy. Is that why you're interested in him?"

"Oh, Brice is Ellie's boyfriend?" he said innocently.

"You're a bad fucking liar. That's why you're here, right? To see little Ellie Nash. I take it your still hung up on her." Jealous was raging through her, but she glanced casually at her nails. "Interesting. I thought you'd gotten over that." She detested Ellie, but she wasn't about to loose her cool over psycho-chick.

"You don't feel bad, do you?"

"Oh, please," Riley snapped. "What happened was necessary. And please don't tell me you're developing a conscience now. Shit happens. But then life goes on, so get over it." She paused. "And I'm not proud of it, ok? But what the hell do you want me to do? Build a time machine and go back and change it? Look, take my advice. Ellie's turned out fine, and she's moving on. With Brice. And I very much doubt she wants to talk to you. But go ahead and make a fool out of yourself. I'm not going to stop you." Riley turned and flounced off, her blonde hair bouncing behind her. Sean sighed. Just when he thought he and Riley could maybe- and it was a large maybe- be friends, she once again showed her true colors. Last night she had acted all vulnerable and reformed, but she would always be a cold hard bitch. Sean just had to accept it.

Sean saw Ellie turn away from the stage and head to the bar. He followed her over, and walked up next to her. "Ellie, hey."

Ellie turned and looked at him. "Their a great band," he said, nodding toward the stage.

"Yeah, they are," she answered vaguely, drumming her fingers against the counter.

"So…I heard you got caught cheating on a test," he said. "That sucks."

"Actually, I got kicked out of school," she said, still not looking at him. "Are you serious?" Sean asked. "Man that really sucks."

"Why?" she asked. "I get to sleep in and do whatever the hell I want all day. Best thing that ever happened to me."

Sean frowned. "But….what about being a journalist?" Ellie ignored him and grabbed some peanuts out of a dish. He sighed. "Look, Ellie, I can't take this. I need to know you don't hate me. You know, I want things to be…ok between us. If that's possible. Please…don't hate me. It's killing me."

Ellie turned to him with a little smile. "Oh, I don't hate you."

"Really?"

"No," Ellie said. The bartender set down her drink, and she picked it up. Then she turned and poured it over Sean's head. "I despise you." She turned and stalked off toward the bathroom. Sean stood there with vodka streaming down his head. Why was he even surprised? Ellie was so different now; he wouldn't put anything past her. Finally, he turned and followed her to the bathroom. He pushed open the door and stepped in. "Ok, I tried to be nice," he said to Ellie, who was standing at the sink.

A girl at the other sink turned and frowned at him. "Hey, this is the girl's bathroom!"

"Then why are you in here?" he asked, and the girl grabbed her purse and stomped off angrily. He turned back to Ellie. "I apologized, Ellie. Can't you see that I feel like shit about everything?

"Why should I care about how you feel? You obviously don't care about me."

"That's not true," Sean said truthfully. "I cared about you a lot. I still care about you."

"No. You only care about yourself and Riley Corey," Ellie said angrily. "Why don't you go off and find her? I bet she's wondering around here, looking for some guy to have sex with. I'm sure you'd love to be that guy. Not get the fuck away from me and leave me alone. I have to go watch my boyfriend perform." She pushed past him and out of the bathroom.

Sean clenched his hands into fists. He felt so frustrated and powerless. All he wanted Ellie to do was see how much he loved her. Yes, he had fucked up majorly in the past, but he was different now. He was different, wasn't he? God, he hoped he was different.

Ashley took deep breaths as she jogged down the sidewalk, trying to run in tune with her new iPod. Destiny's Child was blasting, and she felt completely energized. All the drama with Craig and Damon had definitely taken it's toll on her, but she simply refused to be the victim. From now on, I'm in charge of my own destiny. I'm in control, she coached herself. It sounded completely corny and cliché, but it was true.

The streetlights flickered on, and Ashley realized how late and dark it was getting. Mom's going to freak if I'm out too late, she reminded herself, glancing at her watch. One more song and then I'm turning back. She rounded a corner, and all of the sudden, Damon was standing directly in front of her. She screamed, startled. "Oh, my, God," she said, taking a deep breath. "You scared the crap out of me."

Damon stared at her. She swallowed hard. "Were you…following me?"

Damon shook his head. "No. I live on the next street over, remember? I was just taking a walk."

"Oh," Ashley said, wiping the sweat off her forehead. He did in fact live really close, but Ashley was still slightly creeped out. "Well, I should be going." She put her headphones back on and turned to go, but Damon grabbed her arm. "Wait," he said desperately. "I really want to talk to you."

"Um….I don't know. I really don't have anything to say to you."

Damon nodded slowly. "I can understand. I was a jerk. But you know I'm not really like that. I just got carried away."

"You're always getting carried away," she pointed out. "And I'm beginning to think you are like that. You were so violent with me in the car that night, Damon. I was really scared."

Damon squeezed his eyes shut and was quiet for a moment. "I can be different. Just don't leave me. You don't know how much you mean to me. I'm nothing without you."

Ashley sighed. "Damon, you have….problems. I don't know…I just think you might need to get help. And until then, I think we should just take more time apart." She slipped her headphones back on again and turned to leave. But as she did, Damon grabbed her waist and pulled her back. "Damon, stop it!" she yelled. He clapped a sweaty hand over her mouth, and she tried to wiggle free.

He threw her behind a hedge of bushes, and pinned her down. "I loved you," he said, his voice shaking with emotion. Ashley wiggled and tried to yell for help, but Damon kept his hand tightly over her mouth. "Why can't you just love me?" He unzipped his pants, and then reached to undo hers….

"You look completely miserable," Riley said to Sean, who was sitting slumped over on the bar. "And you're probably a little drunk right now." Sean just shrugged. Riley plopped onto the stool next to him and asked the bartended to get her a drink. "Wow, flashback to all the times you and me got completely wasted together."

Sean lifted his head up and blinked. "Good times," he muttered sarcastically. "Ellie fucking hates me. She threw a drink on me."

"I hate to tell I told you so….but I told you so," Riley said. The bartended set down her drink. "Thanks. Look, Seanny, it's a lost cause. Why are you even bothering? You have Emma now."

"You don't understand," Sean mumbled. Riley shrugged. He was right. She really didn't understand. So instead she tossed back her shot and stood up. "Ok. You. Me. Dancing." She said, holding out her hand to him. He shook his head. "No is not an option, so get off your ass and dance with me."

Finally, Sean reluctantly got up and followed her out. The band was playing, and everyone was jumping up and down and dancing. Sean wanted to leave. Riley grabbed him and began grinding next to him. He hardly even moved his body. "Come on. I know you move better than that," she whispered into his ear. After awhile, Sean loosened up and began having a good time. Hey, why wouldn't he take advantage of a gorgeous girl rubbing up against him? He'd had a little too much to drink, but dancing with Riley felt so right. At least she didn't hate his guts like Ellie. "You're so hot," he whispered into her ear.

Riley perked up. Finally! "I can get hotter."

"Oh, I know," he said, smiling slightly. She giggled and kissed him on the neck. "I don't want to be here anymore," she whispered into hisear. He nodded. "Let's go somewhere more private," he suggested, and the two walked off the dance floor. They finally reached a small little corner near the bathrooms, which was about as private as you could get in that place. Riley plopped down on the little red couch and pulled Sean down with her. Then they began ferociously making out, Sean fueled by the alcohol, and Riley fueled by the fact that Sean Cameron was finally giving in to all his desires.

Suddenly, Sean pulled away from her. Riley looked up and saw Ellie Nash staring down at them with a look of utter contempt on her face. "Uh…" Sean stuttered, trying to form a coherent sentence.

"I knew it," Ellie said tearfully. "It's always fucking her." And she turned and walked off.

Sean made a move to get up and go after her, but Riley pulled him back. "Sean," she said. "Think about this. You're always going to be chasing after someone that doesn't even care about you." As she said it, she realized that was exactly what was happening with her and Sean. Just like Sean was hopelessly pursuing Ellie, Riley was just as hopelessly pursuing Sean. She swallowed hard. "Don't leave me," she said. "She can't love you the way I do."

Sean glanced after Ellie, and then back at Riley. She saw the hesitation, the confusion in his eyes. He didn't know. He didn't know what to do. She squeezed his hand. And finally he sat back down, grabbed her, and kissed her hard on the lips. Riley smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. Deep down she knew Sean didn't love her the way she loved him. His heart would always belong to girls like Ellie Nash and Emma Nelson. But even so, she couldn't let go of him, even though he didn't want her. But she didn't care.

Because tonight, he's mine.

Author's Note- It's a long chapter, but I haven't updated in awhile. I know some of this is a bit over the top, but who cares? Lol. Anyway, what's the deal with this Parker guy? Is he going to help or hurt Manny? And in the aftermath of a personal tradegy, who will Ashley turn to for support? And will the play bring Emma and Jay closer together, or tear them apart? Lots of questions, lots of answers...so keep reading. I'll promise to get a faster update.

And to everyone who reviewed...thanks so much. It's nice to know what you like/ don't like. Keep reviewing!