Me and Aqua walked out the door (or rather strutted our stuff out the door) in silence. Once we were a good deal away from the restaurant, we finally found a bench and sat down without a word. After a moment of still not saying anything I broke the silence.

"Aqua, I'm sorry. It's my fault that Skittery is mad at you. If you want I can talk to him for you. I just feel like if I had just waited it out, then none of this would have happened." I said earnestly. I was very sorry that my fight with Spot had affected my brother and best friend.

"It ain't your fault." She said. "You don't have to apologize, Spot should be the one apologizing. Its his stupid ego paired with the fact that he is absolutely petrified at the prospect of loving again that got us in this mess. Spot just had to act like a baby about something so simple and now here we are sitting alone on a bench, sulking, with no guys to take us to Medda's tonight. I mean, it's not like we did anything wrong. We stuck up for ourselves. Told them that we ain't gonna change the way we are for them. Even if they are great guys."

"Yeah, they are really cute." I said starting to daydream.

"Cute, they're adorable. They are so funny too."

"And protective."

"And bad-ass." I stared at her once she said this.

"Bad-ass?" I questioned.

"Yeah of course. Did you see the way Skitts decked Spot at Medda's last week? And, well, Spot is just about as bad-ass as they come." She explained. We both laughed.

"Yeah, except when he's running scared." I added. We laughed even harder. We both started back to the lodging house and we stayed up in the girls room until the boys came back to get ready to go to Medda's.

Once they got back I could sense a real tension between Aqua and Skittery. It was a bit awkward for me too because Skittery wanted to be near me and he couldn't with Aqua hanging around. But, when it came down to it I chose to walk over with Aqua. Even if he was my brother, he had acted like a jerk to Aqua and I was currently in debt to her. She had insisted it wasn't my fault things turned out the way they did but I wasn't convinced.

Once we got there, we found a few tables close together and we spread out amongst them. Even more tension rose now because despite Aqua being attached to my hip, Skittery still felt it necessary to sit on my other side. And then proceeded to shoot dirty looks across me to Aqua, who would then return them with glares of her own. Then it got interesting.

"I can't believe your related to that scum of the earth, Tiger. You two are just so different. Your sweet and kind to people, and your brother is well, not." Aqua said in an exaggeratedly loud voice so that it would carry over to Skittery. I didn't even have a chance to respond.

"Yeah well I can't believe your friends with someone so loud and obnoxious." Skittery said just as loud and exaggerated.

"Oh yeah well I can't believe that your actually letting him sit next to you. With his moods, it's impossible to have a good time with someone so depressing." She shot back not even bothering to look at me anymore.

"Oh yeah well I can't believe that you'd sit next to her. She'll get you arrested with the way she acts. Always ready to pound 'em back for a night of "fun"." Skittery was now getting in her face, literally. They were inches apart from each other and I was still sitting between them.

"OH YEAH WELL I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M SITTING HERE LISTENING TO THIS. I'VE GOT PROBLEMS OF MY OWN!" I exploded. I knocked the chair on the floor in my haste to get as far away from these two as I could. They really do deserve each other. I thought.

I hadn't even gotten a table's length away from them and I could already hear them starting in on one another again. In fact I hadn't even gotten a table's length away before I caught sight of Spot and his girl. Wait a minute, Spot and his girl? God, he really did move on quick. Not six hours ago I was screaming at him for being a jerk and now here he was with some random girl that probably wouldn't last until morning.

Either he has rebounded insanely fast because I really didn't mean anything to him or he is trying to make me jealous. I thought. It has to be him making me jealous. I decided. Well Emma "Tiger" Thanes will not be so easily fooled. I am not jealous. And I sure as hell won't go down without a fight. Oh my God, she's blowing in his ear. Damn he really does know how to make a girl not jealous.

I walked coolly over to where Spot and his girl where sitting because it just so happens that it was where Jack and Race were sitting. I walked up to Race and then said to him "Oh Racetrack sweety, be a dear and come with me a minute. I need to talk to you." I put on my best flirty face and I ran my finger across his shoulders.

"Ummm, okay dollface?" he said trying to figure out what I was up too but playing along just the same. I laced my fingers in to his and walked out of the hall standing very close to him. Once outside I let him in on my plan. As feeble a plan as it was.

"Okay Race so basically, I'm trying to make Spot jealous because of him trying to make me jealous and for that to work I need to have a guy to attach myself to for the rest of the night which would be why you are here right now so what I need you to do is just pretend I'm the only girl in your world tonight and I promise I will make it up to you any questions?" I said talking very fast. I had to give myself a minute to catch my breath when I was done.

"I figured dat was what dis was all about. I'll do it on one condition." He said. "Don't evah call me sweety again." I smiled and nodded. He put his arm around e and we walked back inside. Two can play at this game. I thought as we walked toward Spot and his girl.

About halfway through the night I started to get the biggest headache of my life. Her name was Angel. No I'm not kidding, Spot's new girl's name was Angel. But I referred to her as Demon in my mind. She was horrible. So sickingly sweet and nice to everyone, she never had anything to say either. I could practically see the vain in Spot's head beginning to throb. She was annoying.

Meanwhile, Race was doing an excellent job at pretending to be my new boyfriend. He would always have his arm around me and he would whisper in my ear. I wondered if this was the way he treated his real girlfriends. If so, any girl to date him was lucky.

"So ummm, Angel what do you do?" I asked trying to be as pleasant as possible.

"Oh I don't do anything, silly. My father is a big business man and I just reap the benefits." She said giggling. Spot let out a loud laugh that sounded so forced that Jack clapped him on the back, thinking he was choking. Did I mention she full of herself too? Wow, Spot must really like me. Going through all this to make me jealous. She was so bad she didn't even know when she was being obnoxious.

Speaking of obnoxious, Skittery and Aqua where still in their corner bickering like an old married couple. It was ridiculous. The whole night was ridiculous. Everything that happened felt so surreal. I decided that there was nothing that could happen tonight that would surprise me.

"Oh by the way, I was wondering, my parents are out of town for a while and my house just feels so big and empty without them. Jack, I know there's no room for me in Brooklyn so could I stay in Manhattan for a few days?" Angel asked suddenly.

If I had been drinking anything when she asked this I would have likely snorted it all over the place. If Jack said yes I would be sharing a room with the spawn of Satin.

"Uhhh, sure Angel." Jack said reluctantly. Nothing could happen that would surprise me huh? My heart sank. It took every muscle in my face to keep my smile intact. "You won't mind sharing a room with Angel will you Tiger?"

"Not at all," I said before he could even finish the question. By this point it was time to leave. We all got up and I looked and saw Aqua and Skittery making out at their table. So that's why it's been so quiet. I walked over to their table and wrenched their heads apart by their hair. "Time to go." I said. I was in no mood for a prolonged stay. We reached the table I had been sitting at and Race was waiting for me. I waited until all the newsies had gone except Race and me and I took what was left in Jack's glass and swung my head back emptying the glass. I was hoping it was some sort of alcoholic drink but at this point I didn't care.

"Damn Tiger, when did you start becomin an alcoholic?" Race asked me sarcastically.

"When I learned I'd be sharing a room with Satin's little girl." I said quite seriously. "Don't you dare laugh, you'd do the same." I said.

"I ain't laughin at what you said. I'se laughin cause it ain't me that's gotta put up wit her." He said cracking up. "Don't worry about making tonight up to me. You'se got enough payback." He said trying to calm down. He started to leave and once he had his back to me I downed every half-full glass at the table.