Okay, here's chapter 8! School is finally out so hopefully I can get updates a little more often. I have started another story (that hasn't been posted yet) but when it is, if anyone here is a Golden Sun fan you should check out that one too! It probably won't be up until the end of the month though.

8 - Disaster

It was hard to drive with four girls squished into the back seat laughing at whatever it was they were whispering about and Matt in the passenger seat mumbling to himself tips to hold onto during the party. Caleb sighed heavily when they made it to the party all in one piece. That, to him, was a big accomplishment considering the distractions in his car.

"Okay," Taranee breathed out quietly next to Caleb when they all stepped out of the car. "Are we supposed to go in now?"

Caleb shrugged. He was too surprised at the entire setting to know what they were supposed to do. The parties that you saw on TV shows were exactly what this one looked like. Elyon's beach house was huge, with two balcony's filled with teenagers. The music was blaring and you could see the pool sticking out in the backyard filled with loud girls in their bikinis and guys falling over them.

"Yes, we go in," Irma grumbled. She grabbed Taranee by the arm and dragged her behind her, like she went to parties all the time and was sick of them.

"C'mon man," Matt said. He walked past Caleb with Will and Hay Lin on his other side.

Caleb watched them for a moment. He knew Will and Hay Lin were excited about this, no matter how calm they were trying to act. And he knew Matt was excited as well, but unlike Will and Hay Lin, Matt wasn't trying to hide it. Caleb, however, did not want to be here. In fact, it was the last place he wanted to be. After listening to Cornelia's debacle with her mother, he didn't want to face her. But that was the only thing that he was here for now. To talk with Cornelia about it and discover whether or not she really meant what she had said. Finally, he took a step forward and started towards the door.

... ...

"You don't look like you're having a good time," Elyon said. The one thing Cornelia couldn't stand about Elyon was that she could tell whenever Cornelia had something on her mind, even when she was wearing her best poker face.

"I am," Cornelia reassured her, "It's just…"

Beside her she heard Elyon sigh, "Him?" She was looking in the direction of the door, so Cornelia turned her head, already knowing who would be there.

"Yeah…" Cornelia replied, "Him." She took in a deep breath and turned back to her friend, "Yesterday he heard some things he shouldn't have heard. And I tried calling him this morning before I came here but there was no answer."

Elyon shrugged, "Maybe it's a good thing. I mean, ever since you broke up with…" she stopped herself before saying the name, "You've seemed a lot happier since then."

"But I think that's partly because of Caleb."

"Cornelia, please, you've known him for like, two weeks. It's been months since you were actually with a boy and in those long months you've been doing way better. Believe me, it's not Caleb that fixed you."

The words stung Cornelia, but she didn't argue with Elyon, "Listen. I just want to talk to him. I'll be back real quick."

She watched as Elyon pursed her lips. Then her friends face turned soft and she nodded, "Just don't let him hurt you. You've been through enough."

Cornelia smiled at Elyon's sincerity. She quickly dashed towards Caleb, who was still hovering around the door with Will and Taranee. When she reached the group, Will and Taranee smiled. Caleb just stood with his hands in his pockets and an expression that she didn't even bother trying to make sense of.

"Hey guys, I'm glad you came!" She did her best to sound happy and pumped up along with everyone else at the party. It helped that she practically had to shout her words over the music just so they could hear her. "Can I steal him?" She asked the two girls while taking Caleb by the arm. She had already began to tiptoe away with him before they could say yes.

She led him through the kitchen and into a small room that surprisingly hadn't yet been taken over by someone else. Cornelia shut the door and turned to Caleb. Now she took the time to understand the expression on his face. Bitter.

"I was hoping we could talk."

"I was too," Caleb said, shoving his hands back into his pockets.

"So…?"

"What do you want me to say, Cornelia?" Caleb asked. Yep, even his voice sounded bitter. Like he didn't want to be here.

"Why didn't you answer my calls?"

"Why did you say we were just friends?"

That was the third time in less than two days that someone's words stung Cornelia. However, Caleb's were the ones that hurt the most.

Caleb shook his head, "Because I don't know about you, but I sure have been feeling a lot more than friendship between us!"

There it was. He had just declared his feelings about her, and Cornelia found herself speechless. She had to have stood there at least a minute before she felt her mouth open, "I-" her voice cracked.

"Never mind." Caleb shrugged his shoulders before backing out of the room, "Your silence says enough."

... ...

Caleb stomped out of the room. It didn't take him long to find Will sitting quietly on a couch in the living room. He plopped down next to her and sighed. "I gotta get out of here."

"What?" Will pushed herself up so she was sitting straighter, "No way. You're our ride and we aren't ready yet!"

"You aren't even doing anything. What's your reason to stay?" Caleb asked.

He noticed Will take in a deep breath accompanied with a small glare in his direction. The look quickly vanished from Will's face when Caleb noticed that she wasn't glaring at him. She was glaring behind him. He looked back over his shoulder and saw Matt standing in the hall, in clear view, with two tall and skinny girls laughing next to him. Caleb pressed his lips together and slowly turned back to Will.

"I would have asked you to leave the moment we got here." Will started, "I mean, look at these people! We don't belong here!"

"So why didn't you?" Caleb asked, already knowing the answer. He was ninety nine percent positive that Will already knew that he had figured it out as well.

"How am I supposed to get his attention?"

"Sitting here isn't helping, you know."

Will fell back and rested her back on the couch. "We hang out everyday, and he hasn't once dropped a hint that he's interested in me. And now he's with those two…what should I do?"

At that same moment she asked, Caleb noticed Cornelia standing back with Elyon. She had another guy next to her, and she was laughing. In a quick movement the guy had slipped his arm around Cornelia's waist and pulled her closer to his side.

Caleb didn't have to think twice to answer Will's question, "Make him jealous." He caught Will's eye just as she was turning around to see what he had been staring at. As slow realization crept onto her face, she faced Caleb.

"I'll tell you what, my friend," Will began with a small and soft smile, "You go talk to Cornelia. And I'll find someone I can use to make Matt jealous."

Caleb wasn't sure he liked this deal. Will always knew what was going on in his life, which meant she definitely knew that he had had some sort of fallout with Cornelia just moments ago. But for as long as he and Will had been friends, she had always known what to do to fix any of his problems. All those times and he had never once rewarded her with more than a thank you. Maybe this was the chance he had to repay her. And all he had to say was, 'I'll do it.'

"Fine." Caleb said. He stood up and held out a hand for Will to grab onto. Once he hauled her up, he led her towards a group of guys that he knew from some of his classes. "Hey man," he said to Cedric, the one of the group he knew the best. Last week in gym Cedric used Caleb as an excuse for missing class and Caleb had gotten in trouble for it. At the end of the day Cedric showed up at Caleb's locker and told him that he owed him one big time for taking the blame. Well, this was how he would be repaying Caleb.

"You remember how you owe me something, right?" Caleb asked.

Cedric held a drink in his hand and took a long drink from it before setting it on a close table, "What's your price?"

"I need you to keep Will company." Caleb grabbed Will by the arm and forced her to step forward. "We're trying to get someone to notice her."

"Well, you picked the right guy to make someone jealous," Cedric smiled.

Caleb nodded his head. Cedric took a step towards Will and pushed her away from the group of guys by the small of her back. Caleb took a step backwards and waited until they disappeared into the crowd, and then he turned himself and started heading in Cornelia's direction.

When he caught sight of her he was pleased to see that whoever that guy was with her earlier was gone, and she was talking with Elyon. He noticed a glass in her hands and suddenly her words rang through his head, "I don't drink."

It took several steps before he reached her, and when he did, he came up behind her. He caught Elyon's eye and it was telling him to buzz off, but he didn't listen. Instead, he whispered quietly into Cornelia's ear, "I thought you didn't drink."

Caleb could have sworn that he sent a shiver down Cornelia's spine the way she stiffened. Slowly, she turned around and looked him in the eye. She narrowed her eyes, "I don't. This is cranberry juice."

"Come outside with me?"

Cornelia took a quick glance at Elyon and then nodded at Caleb, "I'll see you later, Elyon," she said before brushing past Caleb, leading the way.

... ...

"So what's your name again?" Cedric asked her.

"Will," she replied. Cedric seemed nice up until he had had a few drinks. Now he was lounging against the wall trying to stand straight.

"Oh yeah," he grinned and held out a hand to her. "Come here Will."

She was definitely uncomfortable. And she was definitely ready to kill Caleb the moment he walked back in through that door. He must have known that Cedric was just another party guy trying to get with any girl he could. But when she noticed Matt making more than a few glances in her direction she figured the plan was working, so she pushed on with it and took Cedric's hand.

"Good girl," Cedric smiled, forcibly pulling her towards him and then letting his arm drape over her shoulder. "You know Will, I don't remember seeing you at school."

"Oh…I don't really remember you either…" Will forced a smile and glanced at the clock. She had been standing here with him for who knows how long and it was starting to get lame. She once again found herself questioning Caleb's methods.

"I think…" Cedric started and Will noticed his speech was slurred, "We should go upstairs." He tried to snake his arm around Will's waist but she pushed his hand away.

"What? You don't want to?" Cedric grinned again, "Come on. Let me show you a good time."

"No…I-"

"Let's go Will. Don't be a tease."

"Listen, Cedric I don't-"

"Come on!" Cedric grabbed Will by her arm and Will wanted to scream when he started to drag her in the direction of the stairs.

"Hey!" Someone called from behind them. The moment she heard the voice she recognized it, and Will breathed a sigh of relief.

"What?" Cedric turned around with a wobble.

"She doesn't want to go with you," Matt said, taking a step closer.

"Yeah. She wants a good time. Tell him Will," Cedric practically spat the words out. He tugged at the bottom of Will's shirt and Will took a step away from him.

"Come back here," there was a sickening demand in his voice that scared Will back another step.

Cedric took a step back towards her.

"One more step and I swear to God, Cedric I'll beat the shit out of you." Matt threatened.

For so long Will wanted Matt to defend her like that but at that moment, she wanted to go back to just being the girl who watched him on the sidelines.

Cedric smiled at Matt and lifted his foot, taunting him. He held out his leg and slowly placed it down. It barely touched the floor by the time Matt ran straight into him, tackling him to the floor.

"Hey! Get off of him! Hey!" People were calling from the crowd. "You go Matt!" "Help Cedric!" "That was a cheap shot!" But the screams all seemed to be drowned out when the sound of a gun popping filled the room.

... ...

"Listen Caleb, I think you made it pretty clear you don't want to talk to me!" Cornelia blurted out as she pushed through the back door and started down the beach.

"You're right," Caleb followed shortly behind her, "I don't. But I promised someone I would."

"Great. Well, we talked. I know you want to leave so you can." Cornelia stated bluntly.

"Wow," Caleb shook his head in disbelief, "I don't do anything wrong…but you do, and you're the one pushing me away. Don't you think it should be the other way around?"

Cornelia crossed her arms over her chest and replied quietly, "That's what you don't get. You did do something wrong. You ruined everything but I decided to ignore it because I actually liked you!"

"What are you…" Caleb was confused. He had never met a girl who could confuse him as badly as Cornelia just did.

"This is my senior year and I wanted it to be perfect! But then I had to meet you and my whole idea of this year got screwed up!"

"How the hell did I screw up your perfect little-"

"You made me fall for you! That's how." Cornelia felt such a relief to say the words she had been denying to even herself. "And that wasn't something I planned to happen."

Caleb took a step backwards after hearing what she said. He had always thought that when he heard those words coming from her it would be under different - better - conditions. He wasn't sure what he was going to say but he somehow had begun to reply when he was interrupted by a loud popping sound.

"What was that!" Cornelia asked, turning back to the house. Suddenly, as if on cue, there were several screams breaking out over the music.

"I don't know," Caleb replied, starting towards the house, and Cornelia was quick to fall into step behind him. "But it sounded like a gun."

Next update should be in the next two weeks. Here's you peek at the next chapter:

... ...

"I think you should talk to her Caleb."

"I've already tried talking to her and we never seem to get anywhere-"

"Not about that!" Will interrupted him, and then she flopped her head back onto her pillow. "Ask her why she doesn't drink."

... ...

Reeevieeew! (: