A/N: Aha! Another chapter! As a follow-up to my last author's note, I did manage to get a Valentine's day boyfriend who smells so good... I know no one cares, but oh well. I do. Since I didn't quite make it to a thousand words this chapter, I thought, "What shall I do to fill space?" And I answered myself, "Reply to reviews!" I know there's a nice little button on the review email for me to reply to them, but I like the old-fashioned way better.
MidnightCrime: Hey Nikki! I tried to make this chapter flow a little better, just for you. Lots of Natasha coming up in the Swayze-er of my scenes, probably starting in the next chapter.
JoonSanders: Wow, you've been with me through the entire story! You aren't getting bored of it, are you? And by the way, the "Vacation, all I ever wanted" song kicks ass and it's by the Go-gos! I'm glad you like my character, I hope she does well in the chapter.
la femme de l'abime: If my French is as good as I think it is, your pen name means "The Woman of Damage." Interesting. Sorry for almost giving you a heart attack, but I don't get to update much. My midterms were...less than stellar.
charmed1818: I didn't like the last chapter as much as previous ones, at least one of us did, though! I'll try to update more frequently, but I have tons of work for art to do, and I don't understand this Hundertwasser fellow at all.
dArkliTe-sPirit: You really read the whole thing in one go? Kudos.
sarasbutterfly: I hope you get around to reading the rest, hahaha! Then maybe you'll see that I replied your review!
Szmanda's Manda: That would be very sad if your name were Amanda Szmanda. Especially since Szmanda rhymes with raw panda, it's virtually the same word! Very wedding-singer-esque. I can't remember where I mentioned Canada, mind clueing me in? I don't want to read all 41 chapters in one go, but other people seem to...Anyway, I'll see what I can do for Greg's love life. Lengthy reviews always make me update faster! Lubs ya!
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Sara was the first one to get out of the large van when it stopped in Tamales Bay, so she was the first to see the infamous Maddy. She was short, around five feet four inches tall, and she had curly, shoulder-length hair, dyed a shocking deep blue. The bright California sun glinted off her nosering and the prescription sunglasses she wore, as well as the silver-studded belt holding up her worn-out jeans. The entire ensemble was draped on her scrawny skeleton, and untied Converse high tops were shoved carelessly onto her feet.
As Sara took all this in, the rest of the gang had gotten out of the van and were milling around, staring at Maddy's strange appearance or the large house behind her. The deafening silence was finally broken by Greg, the last one out of the packed van.
"Madds!" he yelled, running toward her and throwing his arms about her neck.
"Greggyo!" she shouted in return. Sara noticed her voice was loud and high, potentially annoying and potentially beautiful at the same time. As the hostess broke away from Greg's tight embrace, she noticed the ten other teenagers watching her warily.
"Jeez, what's your deal?" she joked. "I'm Maddy, by the way, in case you couldn't guess. This is my house, well, our house for the next two weeks. Grab your stuff and I'll get you settled in, then we can go down to the beach and maybe, if we're lucky, you'll all get to introduce yourselves properly."
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Mia, Catherine and Sara were in an honest-to-God tower. Maddy's picturesque castle-like house had two towers, each with a large, round room housing three beds. There were two other guest bedrooms, with three beds each, making it a perfect fit for the teenagers. Technically, Maddy had no room in the house. She slept where she wanted, most of the time, but for now she had relinquished the freedom for a bed in the other tower with Natasha and Heather.
"Feel's like being rich," Mia sighed, putting the last of her clothes on shelves in the compact closet. "Maddy's aunt is supposed to be really poor, though. If she comes to Vegas, man, it'll be a facefull of reality sandwich."
Down the hall, Nick, Archie and Jim were also talking about their unusual hostess. "I don't know what's up with her and Greg," Archie commented, emptying the contents of his bag onto his bed and the floor next to it. "If you ask me, it's an awfully big favor, taking in ten strangers, for a friend you had as a kid."
"Well," Nick replied, grinning, "forgive me if I don't entirely trust your opinion on romance, Mr. Too-chicken-to-give-Mia-another-note!"
Archie blushed a violent shade of red. "Hey, that wasn't me!" he protested. "That was some... Secret admirer!"
"Yeah, as opposed to you, the completely obvious admirer," Jim retorted, putting his neatly folded clothes into a dresser he'd descovered in the back corner of the room.
Nick and Jim burst into raucous peals of laughter, which was so infectious that even Archie had to join in.
Greg, too, was laughing, but for an entirely different reason. Gil's and Warrick's faces were just too much to resist after he told them a few "activities" Maddy had in store for them. "First and foremost," he had said, "she's a dancer. And she wants to teach us all to dance as well."
"I thought you were kidding about that," Warrick said warily.
"Nope!" Greg grinned. "She thinks that our generation has lost the sophistication of the first American debutantes, and that the elegance and grace of ballroom dance should be a knowledge bestowed on every person."
"She said that? The girl with the nosering and Londing Calling t-shirt said that we aren't sophisticated enough?" Gil was incredulous. "Generally I'm not one to judge by appearance, but she seems to need a few lessons in elegance."
"My dear Gil," Greg said kindly, "take heed. If you said that in her presence, she wouldn't hesitate to rip your testicles off and strangle you with them. Don't underestimate the pressure the upper-class Californian society puts on a girl such as her."
Just then, Maddy herself burst into the room, one hand over her eyes. "I hope everyone's decent," she said, pulling her hand away. "All of you should change into swimsuits, we're gonna hit the beach!"
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Maddy, Heather, and Natasha were the first ones in the water. Letting the surf envelope her legs, Natasha spoke. "So what's this I hear about ballroom dancing?" she asked.
"That's what I'd like to know," Heather said. "I haven't done the Viennese waltz since I was a kid, I can't wait to re-try."
Maddy grinned. "I hoped at least one person would know a little. Promise not to tell anyone, but Greg asked me to do this so he could be paired with Sara. Cute, isn't it?"
Heather and Tasha exchanged significant looks. Both were thinking, "Cute for now, maybe. But how cute will it be when Nick rearranges Greg's face for the second time over this girl?"
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That night, everyone slept peacefully in their rooms. Maddy, Heather and Natasha had grown quite close, and all three liked the idea of sharing a room. Greg and Maddy had shared quite a few childhood tales over dinner, and the rest of the gang had taken a shine to her, although Sara remained suspicious of her relationship with Greg. Also over dinner, Maddy had outlined the plans for the next day. They were going to start dancing, much to the boys' (apart from Greg's) dismay, then they woulo explore town and, once the sun went down, they would head out for a late-night game of lazer tag. Spending two weeks in Tamales Bay, the Vegas kids collectively decided, was going to be one hell of an adventure.