Author's Note: Thanks, all, for the great comments! Please continue with any thoughts/criticism that you have. Also, thank you for your patience with my slow updates. :-) More to come, I promise.

The party was already in full swing by the time Mary Anne and Claudia arrived at the Brewer-Thomas mansion. Mary Anne had shown up at Claud's door, practically begging her to tag along that night. Claud had sighed, pushed aside her half-eaten Mallomars, and threw together a sloppy outfit for the occasion. From Janine's closet, she grabbed a short kilt, then threw on a tie-dyed tee shirt that reminded her of the sunset. She belted the shirt and grabbed a cardigan, tying it lightly around her shoulders. She felt her outfit was toned down, yet she didn't want to stand out as a party crasher.

Mary Anne, on the other hand, was screaming for attention. She had fussed with her hair all afternoon, so it flipped slightly askew around her shoulders; Dawn would have called it California Casual if she didn't realize how much time MA had spent on it. She had on the red dress that her father had purchased for her after her makeover earlier that year (perhaps it had been a few years ago...it was just so hard to keep track of time in Stoneybrook!), yet had altered it slightly. She had taken the hem up a good few inches and paired it with a pair of Sharon's pilfered heels.

As a matter of fact, Mary Anne hadn't seen Sharon that afternoon. She had noted a brief note left on the scratched wooden table that only read, "Out for a bit! Everything's fine! XOXO!" Had it been any other day, MA would have been concerned by the excessive use of exclamation points (after all, she was the former BSC secretary and knew all about the proper use of grammar and punctuation). However, since it was Sharon, MA believed that it was better to let Sharon come and go as she pleased...as long as she didn't run into her.

"Let's go!" Mary Anne called to Claud, who was still trying to squeeze into Janine's tiny skirt. "Maybe I should invest in some body shapers," she thought to herself. Grumbling, she quickly drew on a vague leopard patterned eye shadow, grimacing when she accidentally poked herself in the eye with her eyeliner. "This is not my day," she thought to herself.

The girls headed to the party after begging Janine to drop them off on her way to the library. "I don't know why you waste your time with the minions, Claud," Janine murmured. "You could be spending tonight preparing for your Algebra exam."

The girls ignored Janine and whispered to each other, occasionally giggling. As they arrived at the house, they were pleased to see a gathering of cars outside, along with the faint strains of music from inside. Mary Anne grabbed Claud's hand. "Let's go inside," she said, pulling her lightly.

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Kristy couldn't believe how well things were going thus far. Nothing had been broken, no one had puked in the pool, and no one had ventured upstairs into the bedrooms. Still, it seemed like everyone was having a great time. Kristy had already drunk two beers and was well on her way to a third when she saw Claud and Mary Anne enter. She quickly chugged her drinks, readjusted her baseball cap, and shuffled over.

"Hello, members of the Babysitter's Club!" she giggled. Claud and Mary Anne exchanged glances, not sure where this was going.

"Kristy, are you drinking?" Mary Anne asked, incredulous. New look or not, she was still the same Mary Anne.

"Of course. This is a party, isn't it? Come on, let's have drinks. Sam and Shannon are in the kitchen, so we'll have something."

Claud backed away slightly, not sure if she should follow. Getting Kristy drunk at her own house seemed like a bad idea, especially if she was supposed to be in control. However, she was so grateful to not be kicked up that she went along.

Shannon and Sam were laced around each other in the kitchen, laughing at a private joke. "You should have seen what she was wearing! Oh, the jeans -" she stopped as she saw Kristy, Claud, and Mary Anne enter the room. "Hey..." she trailed off.

"Ladies, allow me to get you a drink," Sam cut in, charming as ever. He began mixing bottles of whatever was nearest to him and smiled. "Drink up."

Kristy noticed Sam's eyes. Something wasn't quite right. But it wasn't time to think about that right now. Besides, Shannon was with him. So instead, she handed the girls their drinks. "Let's do this."

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Mallory was skulking quietly outside of the mansion, trying to figure out if she should ring the doorbell or just walk in. She figured her best bet was either to walk inside with a group of kids or to crawl through one of the windows. She ducked down, clearing a slight break in the carefully manicured bushes. This wasn't kind of attention that she wanted to attract.

Her chance came a few moments later as a group of kids entered and left the door open behind them. Mal crept in stealthily, trying to look like she had just been outside for a smoke break. She smiled politely at all the kids around her, vague faces from when she had student taught in the 8th grade. She headed for the kitchen, slipping past Kristy, whose overly animated actions led Mal to believe she had been drinking. "What would the parents think?" she thought callously, and vowed to later write about that incident.

There they stood, Sam and Shannon. Mal smiled and rushed to shake both of their hands. "Fancy seeing you here!" she chortled.

Shannon rolled her eyes lightly at Sam, who gave her a look of impatience. "Let's go outside for bit," he pleaded.

"No, Sam, you promised."

"Come on, just this once. No one will ever even know."

"Sam, no. You're done with all that, remember? I'm not letting you do this to yourself." Her eyes welled up, and she turned away.

"Shannon, come on. You know I have this under control. It's not a big deal. Let's just step out for a minute - "

"No. I'm leaving. Now you can leave with me and come to my house, or you can choose to stay and ruin everything you've worked so hard to overcome. I'm not staying to see this. I can't."

"Baby, you drive a hard bargain," Sam said, but his hand was already fingering a small baggy in his pocket. "Last time, I promise."

Shannon shook her head, disgusted. "I'm going home. Don't call me." She stormed out the door, slamming it behind her.

"Well, now that she's gone," Sam said, sneering, "why don't you come outside with me?" Mal was surprised, but this opportunity was too good to pass up.

"It's all for my book," she thought as she followed Sam out the door.