CHAPTER 1.5: Those Are The Breaks

It took the girls about thirty minutes to finally make it down to the party. Heavy thumps reverberated from the lit-up conference room. Nicole allowed the music to sit into her mind. If she had to be here, she was thankful there was at least some sort of decent music available to lessen the pain. There were crowds of Youtubers there- some well-known, others more underground. It seemed as if everyone there had already known each other and were mingling around from group to group. Kate pulled out her phone to contact Danny. He had more experience around these people than they did, so maybe he could introduce her.

One group in particular seemed to be the designated stop for every single YouTuber at the party. They were all dressed stylishly in collared shirts and unique prints. Their laughs were even graceful, and yet their projected this sense of admirable superiority. That was going to be one tough group to get into. Even Nicole had begun to take notice. She began picking out some familiar names: Georgiana Moore, Emerson Jones, Liam Hamilton, etc.

"Ah, yes. The elite YouTubers of Europe. The ones that brought foreign YouTubers into the spotlight. The well-dressed, good-looking, and highly endowed individuals that spend their weeks attending fashion shows, launching beauty products, and being sponsored by some of the biggest companies in the world. To do what? Mention their name in one of their weekly videos to millions of adoring fans. The group that all current YouTubers strive to be like", Nicole paused to turn to Kate and smile, "but will never be." Nicole's face then instantly fell flat into the familiar frown. "I'm going back to the room," reported Nicole.

"Nooo," ushered Kate, "You're only allowed back in the room after you've been here for at least an hour."

"AN HOUR!?"

"At least. So go and talk to people-"

"Not possible", Nicole responded with her arms crossed.

"Dance a little-"

"It's like you don't even know me."

Kate hesitated before saying, "Maybe talk to a couple cute guy Youtubers… Maybe…" Nicole's only response was a stare that became more piercing with every word that came out of Kate's mouth. "Will you at least stay in the room?" sighed Kate. Nicole pondered this for a moment. "Alright," she accepted and began walking towards the back. Kate's mouth turned into a thin line. Now who was she supposed to mingle with?

Thankfully, Kate didn't have to be alone for long. Danny suddenly approached her with a drink in hand. "Hey, where is Nicole going?" he asked as he watched Nicole walk away. They both watched her move past the crowd towards the back wall. Once she hit the wall, she turned around, crossed her arms, and grinned. Kate's head hung down loosely. She should've known. Danny looked at Nicole, confused. He had no idea what was going on, but he learned a long time ago that it was better that way. Danny handed Kate a drink. "Thanks," she sullenly accepted. Danny smiled at her acceptance of defeat; having Kate give up wasn't an easy task. That girl was as stubborn as a bull.

And that's when he noticed something. For the first time in their relationship, he didn't have to worry about some other guy coming over and interrupting them. He was the only person she knew in the room! She literally had nobody else! It was like a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulder. "Hey, I see your friends! Let's go say hi," Kate pointed out. Danny's face fell instantly. "Oh yay," he replied flatly as they walked towards the group of guys.

But while Danny was dealing with his lack of isolation, the boys were busy trying to figure out one remaining problem. "We still don't know which one's which!" reminded Julian as they entered the room. Harry could feel the panic rising within the group. He had to do something or else the harmony within the group would break. It was up to him to-

("You're making it seem like you're a superhero or something," scoffed John. Harry raised his hand in response. "Hush, I'm talking," Harry cut him off.)

Harry stepped in front of guys with his arms up. "Alright, I didn't expect to do this, but it seems as if we have no choice," he said. John raised an eyebrow. "Harry, what are you going to do?" he asked worriedly. Harry sighed, closing his eyes as if he was in deep thought. "I have to use my powers," he stated. Each one of them looked at him in confusion. "Powers?" repeated Julian.

"Oh God," groaned John as he turned away from the impending idiocy that was sure to follow.

"Wait, what powers?" asked Julian

"Please don't-" begged John.

"Julian, I don't know if you know this, but," Harry inhaled, slapped his hand on Julian's shoulder, and looked him dead in the eyes, "I'm psychic."

"Here we go again," remarked John.

"Now I don't pull it out often, because with great power comes great responsibility," said Harry, still looking straight at Julian.

"Those aren't even your words! You got that from Spiderman!" exclaimed John, exasperated. Harry looked over Julian's shoulder just in time to see Kate and Danny on their way over. "Allow me show you," Harry said, tugging at his sleeves.

Danny approached the guys first. If this was going to end up like it did last time, he had to be prepared to block any blows. "Hey," greeted Danny. The group responded with a quick, unified "hello." Harry took a large step forward. "Hello...," he announced. He placed his hands on his temples and squinted at his target, who just looked at him in complete confusion. After a long moment of analyzing, Harry had found his answer. "Kate," he ascertained. He stuck his hand out confidently. "Um…," she looked to Danny for assistance but he was too busy facepalming himself to assist her in any way, "Hi?" Harry's face slowly turned into a grin as Julian's mouth dropped."He did it...he really did it," Julian muttered. He looked around in complete awe as if to ask each of the other guys "Did ya see that? Did ya?" But his friends were too busy wincing to answer his unspoken question.

Kate cocked her head at the extremely odd boy in front of her. "So, KATE," Harry emphasized while wiggling his eyebrows at the still awestruck Julian, "You make YouTube videos?" Kate took a step back towards Danny for safety reasons. "Well, Nicole does most of the work, but yeah, I help out," she replied.

"What kind of videos do you make?" John asked.

"Just whatever we feel like making. Vlogs and whatnot. Sometimes Nicole makes a short film about a trip. Sometimes we have our friend come on and help us. Anything really," she smiled.

"What's your YouTube name?" John asked.

"Thosetwoawkward girls. We really didn't think it through when we named it," she chuckled.

"Well it sound really cool," Julian complimented.

"Thanks," she grinned. It was different getting a compliment from actual YouTubers. They knew the amount of work, time, and thought that goes into each video. Their complements meant more than the usual "oh that's cool". It was nice.

"Yeah yeah, but riddle me this:" Harry interrupted as he got in front of John, "Do you normally mix clothes up or was it a spur of the moment thing?" Once again, every guy's' jaw dropped. Thankfully, Danny was more on the ball this time. "Thirsty? Let's go get some drinks," he said as he took Kate's hand. She tried to turn around to say goodbye to the guys, but was dragged away before she could utter a word. Danny's mission was clear: Get Kate as far away and as quickly away as possible.

As the guys were attempting to recover from Harry's less than tactful question, Ethan finally decided to make his appearance. The guys tried to drag him out with them when they left, but he was adamant in staying behind to decide upon the perfect hairstyle. Ethan grinned cockily as he approached the boys. "Hello, mates," he greeted.

"Well look who decided to finally show up," commented John.

"But it all paid off," Ethan replied as he played with his collar and flashed a grin.

"Yeah, your make-up looks great!" teased Julian. Ethan swatted away Julian's hand from his face. The boys continued their taunts, but Ethan was too focused on the room to pay them any mind. It took him a second, but he finally found her, leaning against the back wall, arms crossed.

Ethan sighed out loud. His friend exchanged confused looks. "You ok there, buddy?" John asked. He followed Ethan's gaze to the object of his affection."Not this again!" John groaned aloud.

"What? What is it?" the others eagerly asked. They scanned the wall on the opposite side of the room. It didn't take them long to find out what caused the stream of drool coming out of Ethan's gaping mouth. "Are you serious?" exclaimed Julian as he stood beside Ethan.

"Her again?" retorted Harry, who popped up beside Julian.

"She's so pretty," Ethan thought aloud.

The guys smacked him upside the head. "Hey!" Ethan exclaimed. He then frantically tried to restyle his hair. It had taken him a whole half hour to get it done just right. "Just go talk to her already!" yelled Harry.

"It isn't that simple!" retorted Ethan.

"Yes! It is!" exclaimed Harry, exasperated.

"No it isn't! Danny is one of my best mates. I can't just swoop in and make a move on his girl. He's practically in love with her for crying out loud!" Ethan asserted. Each guy stared at him in awe. Ethan crossed his arms, satisfied with their silence. Finally, they understood his dilemma; it was about time.

And Ethan would've stayed happy with the situation if it wasn't for the guys prolonged stares. "What?" he asked, slowly uncrossing his arms. John took a step forward. He clapped his hand onto Ethan's shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes. "You're an idiot, Ethan," he stated. Ethan took a step back. "What?" he asked, bewildered.

"First off, she isn't Danny's girl. She's her own person," corrected Harry.

"Yeah, she isn't an object," added Julian.

"Gender equality, bro," continued Harry.

"Ok, ok!" interrupted Ethan, "But it still doesn't change anything. I can't just overlook how Danny feels about her!" The guys just stared at him. He was an idiot. A complete idiot. "That isn't Kate, Ethan," informed John.

Ethan froze. "What?" he slowly responded. John pointed towards the cause for Ethan's current unnecessary internal dilemma. "That's not Kate," John repeated. Ethan looked behind John to Harry and Julian who shook their heads. John pointed towards the other side of the room at the brunette conversing with Danny. "That's Kate," he pointed out. Harry and Julian nodded. If you looked close enough, you probably would've been able to see the wheels inside Ethan's head turning as he tried to sort out the rather baffling news. "But...but then...who's she?" Ethan stammered. He looked back at the goddess leaning against the wall. "That's Nicole. Kate's friend," John answered.

"Kate's...friend?"

"Yes."

"Is she...um...single?"

"I believe so."

"And none of you are interested?" Ethan asked.

"Well, I cou-" Harry began, but Julian jabbed him in the arm before he could finish his sentence.

"No," answered John.

"Oh," Ethan breathed out.

He continued staring at the enticing creature across the room. It was all just so surprising. She wasn't the 'Kate' that Danny had talked about? Danny had spent a year with that angelic face and had never thought about trying to get at her? "Danny's a complete imbecile," Ethan declared. Harry and Julian smacked their foreheads. "How could he not make a move on her? She's effin' gorgeous! Look at her! What the hell was Danny thinking?" Ethan ranted.

"Just go make a move on her already!" John blurted out.

"Oh yeah," Ethan finished, "Ok." His friends watched Ethan walk across the room. "He's going to crash and burn isn't he?" Julian inferred.

"Like an inflamed dodo," Harry replied.

"Let's go grab a couple drinks and watch, shall we?" John proposed.

On the other side of the room, Nicole was praying for someone to drag her away from this cruel and unusual punishment she was being subjected to. The idiotically loud party-goers were getting on her every nerve. The only thing getting her through was the fact that nobody dared to approach her. Judging from the sidelines was tolerable, but actual interaction with any of these people right now would send her over the edge. All she needed to do was maintain her personal space for another forty-two minutes.

Nicole felt a presence scoot alongside her. She winced and let out a sigh. It was Mr. Cant-Keep-His-Eyeballs-Inside-His-Own-Head. "Hey. What's up?" Ethan asked.

"Nothing," Nicole replied shortly.

"Oh," Ethan paused, "Cool." Without any sort of encouragement from Nicole, Ethan was at a loss for words. Instead, a stubborn silence remained between them. He looked arounds for any sort of assistance, but found none. "I'm gonna leave you alone now," he said, sliding away.

"You do that," she stated. He quickly dropped out of frame and awkwardly fast-walked away.

After that uncomfortable experience, Nicole decided she needed to take a more aggressive approach at keeping people at bay. She scanned her surroundings for any oncoming annoyances. There were a few close calls so she had to stay alert. Every time someone was headed her way she put on her most stoic expression as possible, ensuring that her personal bubble would not be trespassed.

"Hey." a familiar voice greeted as he slid up beside her. Nicole didn't even have to look at him, she knew exactly who it was. Ethan Banks. The human version of an asshole. She was already getting nauseous from his presence. "Nope," Nicole declared as she turned away. She cut through the crowd without looking back. All she could think about was getting as much distance away from him as quickly as possible. This is exactly why she didn't want to come to this stupid party in the first place. The ordeal of running into douchebags like Ethan Banks is just too traumatizing.

Armed with this new development, Nicole found Kate, politely excused her from Danny, and pulled her away. Once they were far enough from any eavesdroppers, Nicole opened her mouth to tell her friend the news. But before she could get a word out, Kate interjected. "This is about Ethan isn't it?" she said smugly. Nicole furrowed her eyebrows. How did she already know? Kate latched onto Nicole's arm. "So… what do you think of him?" Kate asked, giggling.

"Wait. What?" Nicole asked, perplexed.

"Ethan! What do you think of him?" Kate repeated. Nicole remained silent as she allowed this question to process in her mind. What did she think of him? Was Kate out of her mind? Kate should know exactly how she felt about that asswipe. Maybe she just heard it wrong. Maybe Kate said "eating" like if she was hungry? Wait. That didn't sound right either.

"Ethan. Danny's friend? I saw you two talking!" Kate repeated.

"Ohhh! Total goof ball. He pretty much crashed and burned," Nicole informed.

"Damn it," Kate snapped her fingers, "I thought for sure…"

"Thought for sure what?" Nicole asked.

"What? Nothing. Carry on. You wanted to tell me something?" Kate quickly asked.

Nicole stared at her supposed friend. Kate was up to something and she could already tell she wasn't going to like it. However, there would be plenty of time to find out what that "something" was later. Right now, she had bigger fish to fry. "Ethan Banks is here," Nicole stated.

Nicole winced, already mentally preparing herself for the freak-out that would inevitably follow. "Ethan Banks….wait. The Ethan Banks? The one from-" Kate exclaimed. Nicole nodded. "Unfortunately so," replied Nicole.

"Oh no. Ooohhh no," Kate paced, "If he's here that means… oh no. Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit."

"Yes, Kate. We needa get outta here," suggested Nicole.

"Here? We need to get of the state!" retorted Kate.

"I can be packed and ready to go in 15," informed Nicole.

As Danny took another sip of his drink, he turned to glance over at the girls' conversation. The moment he saw Kate walking around he knew something must've went horribly wrong. Danny strode over immediately. "Hey, what happened?" Danny asked Nicole. Kate continued to wander around in circles beside him. "Oh nothing, we're just going to fly back to California, that's all," Nicole casually replied.

"What? Why?" Danny asked, taken aback.

"I can't believe they're here. Well, actually I can. Since this was their turf to begin with but still! Oh this is bad. This is so so bad," Kate muttered to herself.

"Did something happen back home? Are your families alright?" Danny asked.

"It's here that you need to worry about," Nicole mumbled. Danny's brows furrowed. What could've possibly happened that could be this bad?