A/N: Hey, lovelies~ I noticed that Maya saw color in previous chapters, so I went back to fix it LOL xD Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter. The end is exciting ^.^

Chapter 5

I lie on the ground outside where the cool wind caresses my face. I keep my eyes closed to avoid the colorless world. Besides, sensation is better than visuals. That must sound weird coming from an artist, but I don't like art for its aesthetic purpose; I like art for the way it makes me feel. This moment is serene enough for me to feel content, so to celebrate, I softly sing a song I wrote:

Blue skies
Green grass
Butterflies
Things lost.
Red rose
Yellow sun
Wind blows
Dreams gone.

"Hey, what are you singing?" Lucas asks.

I jump then open my eyes and turn my head to the right. "Gah! How long were you there?!"

"That depends. What part of the song is 'blue skies'?"

Frick. "The beginning."

He gives me a stupid grin and says, "I know."

I playfully swat his arm. "Is there any reason you're interrupting my relaxation time, Sundance?"

"Actually, yes. There's a party later today in the Alpha House. Want to join me?"

Me? Why me? That's what I want to ask, but instead I say, "Couldn't get your friends to go with you, Hopalong?"

"Um, actually…" Lucas says, fidgeting. He seems nervous, and he won't meet my eyes. I squint before realizing, "Oh my God, they will be there with us."

"Us?" Lucas asks and smirks. "Then I assume you will go to the party with me."

"Woah there. Hold your horses, cowboy. I meant why would I hang out with your friends?"

"Come on, you know Zay and Billy, Maya."

"You're Mister Perfect and Popular. That list should be longer. Besides, I wasn't invited."

"You know what?" Lucas says, leaning back onto his hands. "You're right. I'm Mister Popular, and you know what that means?" I lean away from him, not liking where this is going. "That means they'll let you in because you're with me."

I sigh. I can't argue with that logic, so I say, "Why do you want me there so badly anyway?"

"Let's just say you don't want to be there alone when Zay and Billy get drunk."

"Point taken."

"Okay, so pick you up at seven?" he asks, getting up.

"Yeah, sure." As Lucas walks away, I call out, "Lucas?" When he turns around with a gleam in his eyes, I silently curse myself for what I'm about to do. "I propose another plan."

He gets closer. "And what's that?"

"Stay with me and enjoy the scenery until it's time to go."

Lucas appears shocked for a moment, but then he recollects himself and nods. He lies down next to me, and I can see him grin from the corner of my eye.

"Wipe that stupid smile off of your face, Sundance."

"Okay."

He doesn't. But I don't say anything, too busy trying to hide my own.

Loud music. That is the first thing I register. Then it's the smell. It reeks of alcohol, and the party has only just begun. Why am I here? More importantly, why is Lucas the Good here? I thought he'd be more responsible than to be someplace where there's heavy drinking. But when I see Zay and Billy play who-knows-how-many rounds of Beer Pong, I understand why.

"They're a handful," Lucas says, noticing my shocked stare at the way Zay and Billy chug their beer. "I supposed I could use help from a fellow non-alcoholic."

How Lucas knows I don't drink is a mystery, but I guess he heard what happened to my mom when I was in tenth grade. She had to go to the hospital from the horrid level of her intoxication. After that, I pledged myself to abstinence. Never will I ever touch a bottle of beer, a glass of wine, a cup of gin…

"WHOO!" I hear Zay yell. "BEAT THAT, BILL-LAY."

"ANOTHER ROUND, ISAIAH BABINEAX," Billy begs. "I NEED TO WIN."

"IT'S OKAY, BILL-LAY. YOU WON ONE ROUND."

"OUT OF FIVE."

"Lucas…?" I say. "What do we do…?"

He sighs. "Hold on, I got it." Lucas approaches the inebriated guys and mumbles something in both of their ears. From the way both of the boys flush all the way to their ears and get down from the chairs, Lucas threatened them to get their act together. That's fine with me. They were killing my ears as much as the pounding music is.

Zay gasps. "This song is my jam! Let's go dance!" He pulls Billy and Lucas with him to the dance floor, and Lucas grabs my wrist to make me suffer with him. I try to pry my wrist out of his iron grip but to no avail. I grumble the whole way to which Lucas responds with a "Lighten up, Shortstack." I flip him off with my free hand, but he just laughs at me.

Dance the night away.
Dance your heart away.
The only one who stays
Is you.

Oh, Zay, what a hopeless romantic. I wonder how his relationship with Vanessa is. Long distance must be hard. Not that I would know, but I'm good at guessing.

With Lucas in front of me, I'm reminded of the Semi-Formal in eighth grade when Sheppard came to perform, and I danced with Lucas. I almost told him how happy I was in that moment, so I played it off as arrogance. Right now, I don't care. I grin like an idiot as we jump together in tempo and laugh as Zay and Billy stumble over each other, unbalanced from their drunken state.

Then the DJ, who I assumed worked at high school dances, says it's time to slow things down. Lucas and I help Zay and Billy sit down as they argue about whether that girl across the room was ogling at Billy. When we think they won't fall over, Lucas holds out his hand and says, "Shall we?"

I've regained enough control over myself to hide my excitement, so I roll my eyes and take his hand. "Whatever, Huckleberry."

He leads me back to the center of the room and sets his hands on my waist while I wrap my arms around his shoulders.

In this moment, I could fall
Without being scared at all
Because I believe in us,
I believe in love.

We sway and sway until I feel so calm that I let my head rest against his chest. I can hear his heart, strong and slow, and I close my eyes. I feel his cheek settle on my head, and we stay like that even when the music picks up again. I look up at Lucas, and he looks down at me, and as we stare into each other's eyes, I notice something forgotten but familiar. His eyes shine of sea foam green. I grin, and Lucas smiles back.