DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Beyblades, only my OCs and the plot.

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Chapter 9: Party Punches

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"I've been here all of five minutes and I've already lost my friends," Amara whimpered to herself. She had entered the house with Jules and Johnny but now they were nowhere to be found. The porch seemed to be her only escape.

There were teenagers everywhere. The house was huge and still all three floors were wall to wall people. Amara recognized most of the people from around school. She knew the faces but hardly any of the names. Somewhere in that crowd were her two best friends. It was too cold to wait outside for them to exit. Deciding it was better to endure it than freeze to death, Amara went back into the house.

"Hey Baby." A drunken guy stood in front of Amara. He had obviously had a few beers before the one he had in his hand "Take your coat off and stay a while." He made a move to touch her but Amara shimmied out of his reach.

"No thanks. I'm a little chilly." She backed away from him into the living room. He just shrugged and swaggered off in the other direction.

"Watch where you're going." Amara cringed as she backed into another person. She slowly turned to see who it was.

"Sorry," she said quickly. A tall red haired guy stood in front of her. His hair wasn't just red it was bright red styled in two wings on either side of his head. He looked like just another popular pretty boy. Amara recognized him as Kai's friend Tala.

"No problem." He smiled at her. "You're Kai's friend right."

"Yeah, sorta," she replied nervously. Her eyes scanned the room for any sight of Jules or Johnny.

"I thought I recognized you." Tala took a sip from the cup in his hand. He didn't seem too intoxicated. Compared to the other guy he seemed completely sober. "Hard to forget a pretty face like yours."

Amara grimaced. Maybe he was a little more drunk than she thought. "Thanks."

"You lookin for someone?" He asked picking up on her shifty eyes.

"Yeah," Amara admitted. "I kinda lost my friends when we came in. I don't really know anyone else." Amara looked up at him nervously. She couldn't believe she had just admitted that to him. Tala was what she would consider another one of the popular people. Something she was not. To her great surprise, he was smiling at her. And to her even greater surprise, she smiled back.

"Well, that's not good." He put his arm around her shoulders. "I'll help you find your friend. I know this house like the back of my hand."

"Really?" Amara found herself asking.

"Belongs to my best friend Rei," Tala replied. He led her out of the living room and dining room towards the kitchen, his arm still securely around Amara's shoulder. "Do you know Rei?" Amara shook her head. "Well we must find our host. I'm sure he would like to meet you. Any friend of Kai's is a friend of ours." Amara just nodded.

Tala navigated them through the kitchen. Music blasted from the stereo in the family room, which was connected to the far side of the kitchen. Couples were dancing all around. A trio of girls were even dancing on the island counter in the middle of the kitchen.

"Want a drink?" Tala bellowed over the loud music.

"No thanks I don't drink." Amara shouted back.

"There is stuff without alcohol you know." He unhooked his arm and grabbed a plastic cup from the bag on the counter. He poured a pinky red liquid into it and handed it to Amara. "Here this is just punch. Mariah's special concoction." Amara took a small sip when she noticed that Tala was looking at her expectantly.

"Tastes pretty good," Amara said willingly taking another sip.

"Great. Let's go mingle," Tala said returning his arm to its place across her shoulders.

Half an hour later Amara was still roaming around with Tala. She had refilled her cup about five times with punch and was feeling very bubbly. She was actually enjoying talking to all the strange people Tala introduced her to. They were all really friendly. She credited that too the fact that they were all wasted.

"Hey guys, how's it going." A new voice entered the conversation.

"Kai, dude where have you been," Tala asked. The name Kai pulled Amara's attention forward. She had been staring off into space. For some reason all the lights looked really pretty.

"I've been around." Kai's eyes seemed to be boring into Amara. She just frowned at him. "Looking for her actually." Kai reached forward to take Amara's arm. Tala turned so he couldn't.

"She's been with me," he said almost protectively. "I've been introducing her to the gang."

"How nice of you," Kai replied gritting his teeth. "I think I'll take her now. We need to have a talk." He looked straight at Amara.

"Maybe later dude, I'm enjoying her company."

"Sure you are or are you just waiting till she can't walk anymore so you can sleep with her," Kai growled.

He wasn't sure how drunk his friend truly was. If there was going to be a fight he wanted to put an end to it quickly. If Tala was as drunk as Kai thought he was then Kai could easily take him down but if he wasn't they might be too evenly matched.

"I didn't make her drunk," Tala snapped releasing Amara so he could square off with Kai. He stumbled a little without her to lean on.

"I find that pretty hard to believe since she doesn't drink."

Tala growled then lunged at Kai. They both went crashing back into one of the living room couches. The people on the couch screamed and tried to move away as best they could. Amara looked around as everyone's attention turned to the fighting boys.

Their fighting scared Amara so she did the only thing she could think of. She ran. Her first thought was to get out of the house. Only problem with that was she would have nowhere to go since Jules was her ride. Instead Amara bolted for the stairs that lead to the upper floor of the house. She hadn't gone up their with Tala so maybe Jules was up there.

The first door Amara came to was locked. The second door was open but there was a couple making out on the bed so amara quickly excused herself. Just as she closed the door she felt a wave of sickness wash over her. She was going to throw up. She rushed to the third door hoping it was a bathroom.

Lucky for her the door wasn't locked and it looked like a bathroom. Amara ran her hand along the wall beside the door searching for the light switch. Her finger slid across the plastic of the switch and Amara flicked it on.

"Whoa!"

"That's bright!"

"Sorry." Amara looked up at the couple. Her vision was a little blurred by the bright light, well at least she thought it was the light but something caused her to do a double take at the couple in the bathroom. "Jules? Johnny?"

Sure enough it was her two best friends occupying the bathroom. Jules was sitting on the counter beside the sink, while Johnny stood in front of her. It was obviously that they had just been making out. Both of them were quickly turning red.

"Oh gosh! Oh gosh!" Amara was slowly starting to hyperventilate. "You two…you…" She looked from Jules to Johnny and then back at Jules. "Kissing…friends…"

"Ams, we can explain," Jules started, but Amara was already backing out of the room.

Once Amara was at the top of the stairs she bolted. The urge to throw up was still strong but the urge to get as far away from that bathroom was even stronger. The front door was in sight and all Amara wanted to do was go through it. Suddenly someone stepped in her path and collided with Amara.

"What's your hurry?" the guy asked.

"Get off of me!" Amara began to blindly try to fight the guy's hold.

"Amara! Ams, stop it."

"Kai?" Amara looked up into a pair of familiar silver eyes.

"It's just me," he said soothingly. Amara allowed herself to relax against him for a second. Her head and her heart were pounding and she suddenly felt very tired.

"I gotta get out of here." Her head snapped up. Kai was too surprised to keep his hold and Amara was again on her way to the door.

Kai followed her down the porch steps and onto the semi circle driveway. Another wave of nausea hit Amara and she bent over some bushes. Kai was beside her in a flash holding back her long red hair.

"I can't believe you're drunk," Kai sighed.

"What are you talking about? I just had the punch." Amara groaned still bent over the bushes.

"Mariah's secret concoction has alcohol in it," Kai replied. "She brings it to all Rei's parties, for those who don't want a beer. You shouldn't have taken it. You should have taken a can of coke from the fridge or a glass of water. Then you wouldn't have had any alcohol."

"I'll remember that for next time, mom," Amara looked up to glare at Kai.

Amara straightened up feeling a bit better but her body didn't agree with the quick movement. Dizziness took over and Amara felt herself falling over.

"Sure you're still not drunk," Kai teased having caught Amara before she hit the ground.

"Maybe a little," Amara agreed without looking at Kai. "But you're really one to talk. You probably do this every weekend. This is just my first time."

"Well at least you're admitting it now." Kai smiled. Amara suddenly realized that she was still in his arms and quickly remedied the problem. Kai allowed her to move away from him but his eyes never left her.

"I must be drunk." Amara slowly walked back towards the driveway. "I thought I saw my best friends making out in the bathroom."

"You saw Johnny and Jules making out?" Kai asked following behind her.

"Isn't that what I just said." Amara huffed. She didn't like repeating herself. "They were making out in a bathroom."

"Squirt, I think that was real."

"What makes you think you know my friends?" Amara snapped turning around to face him. "You don't." Amara poked him hard in the chest with her index finger.

"I saw them kiss at the New Years party."

Amara's mouth opened and closed again. "Whaa…what are you talking about?"

"I thought you would have known," Kai answered honestly.

"No, I didn't," she said quietly. Her eyes fixated on the ground. "You don't have to gloat about it."

"I'm not gloating!" Kai put his hands up in the air in surrender. "I feel bad."

"I don't need your pity," Amara snapped. Again she started to make her way to the road. She was having a little trouble walking but she wasn't about to admit that.

"You are a nasty drunk, you know that?" Kai called at her back.

"I'm not drunk," she replied in a singsong voice not bothering to turn around. Her concentration was on not bumping into any of the parked cars she was walking beside.

"Where are you going?"

"Home."

"You're practically falling over. There's no way you'll make it there," Kai said catching up to her. "You'll probably end up falling in front of a car." He tried to take her arm to steady her but Amara pulled away.

"Are you gonna offer me a ride home then or what?" Amara put her hands on her hips trying her best to stay on her feet.

"Nope." Amara stared at him in disbelief. "I'm not driving. I had a few drinks myself and besides I walked here."

"Fine then, I'll just keep walking." Amara brushed past him.

Kai caught Amara's arm again as she passed him and she whipped around to face him. Her plan was to whack him but he had other ideas. When she turned around, Kai bent down and picked her up over his shoulder fireman style.

"Kai!" Amara shrieked realizing what had just happened. "Put me down." She squirmed and kicked and pounded his back with her fists.

"If you don't stop that I'm going to drop you," he said sternly.

"I can walk!"

"Like I said, you'll probably stumble in front of a moving vehicle. Besides between the two of us I'm the one that's less drunk so I'll be making the decisions."

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"Ugh so bright," Amara groaned rolling over to try and hide from the sunlight pouring through her bedroom window. "Head pounding…brain going to break out of skull…owy."

"Your first hangover." Somebody chuckled.

"I'm not drunk." Amara rolled back the other way to find the person who had intruded.

"I didn't say you were drunk. I said you were hung over from being drunk last night." Jules was sitting on Amara's desk chair near her bed. "Take this." Jules passed Amara a glass of water and two aspirins. Amara sat up and did what she was told. The cool water soothed her dry mouth.

"What are you doing here? Where's my mom? Oh man she's gonna kill me," Amara groaned flopping back onto her pillow.

"Well if you make it downstairs at some point today you will see that your mom left you a nice note saying that she will be gone for the day at a Interior Design conference and won't be home till late." Jules replied. "I am here because Kai called me last night saying that you got drunk at the party and might need some help today."

"He called you?"

"Yeah he said he got my number out of your cell phone."

"Oh." Amara took another sip from her water.

"So what happened to you last night?" Jules asked. "You're so anti drinking and you end up drunk at a party. Quite the turn around."

"Yeah well what about you," Amara snapped back feeling defensive. "You and Johnny making out at the party? What's up with that hmmm?"

"Fair enough," Jules said remaining completely calm. "Johnny and I should have told you but well…we chickened out."

"Chickened out? I'm not that scary."

"We weren't really sure how you were going to take it. You're so opposed to change and us dating would be a really big change," Jules explained.

"You've caught on to that have you," Amara chuckled trying to lighten the mood just a little. She was glad that they weren't yelling at each other. Her head was hurting enough already.

"It kind of just happened on New Years. I guess we both got caught up in the moment and kissed." Jules was smiling like a girl in love. "And you know what they say about kissing on New Years."

"What?"

"The person you kiss on New Years is the person you're gonna spend the rest of the New Year with," Jules explained, the lovesick smile still on her face. Amara frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm not superstitious," Amara answered quickly. "That's a cute theory though."

"Ams, what aren't you telling me?" Jules gave her a skeptical look. Amara knew Jules would figure something was up. She was never good at hiding things from her friend. "You got kissed!"

"Yeah, so it doesn't mean anything," Amara was quick to reply.

"Oh my gosh!" she squealed excitedly. "It was Kai wasn't it?"

"So you and Johnny…" Amara said lamely trying to change the subject.

"It was Kai. I knew it."

"Yes, fine it was Kai," Amara replied. "Happy now?" Jules smiled and nodded happily. "He was probably drunk anyway. Disgusting." Amara grimaced. "So is Johnny your boyfriend now?"

"We haven't even made it really official yet. We wanted to tell you first." Jules answered letting Amara change the subject.

"Yeah, well I kinda walked right into that one didn't I."

"I have to admit that was easier than having to tell you," Jules laughed and Amara found herself laughing too.

"I'm happy for you guys." Jules gave her a small look of doubt. "I'm not just saying that either. I think it's great."

"Oh yay!" Jules stood up and hugged Amara. "You promise you're not just saying that?" Jules sat back and eyed her curiously.

"I promise. Just promise me that you won't make out when I'm around or grope each other in the halls or do any of that other gross and disgusting things couples do in the halls at school."

"Promise." Jules laughed.

"Thanks ever so much." Amara moved to get out of her bed. "So what's good hangover food?"

"Come on I'll make you something." Jules put one of Amara's arms over her shoulders and helped her friend down to the kitchen.

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I would say that was a pretty quick update…I'm proud of myself…lol. Hope you guys enjoy it and I did answer the kiss question…lol. Well please read and review. Thanks

Miss Wright

THANKS TO ALL THE REVIEWERS…YOU ALL ROCK!