If Andy thought Mitzi's first party was wild, it was nothing compared to the current scene in front of him.

People in arrays of masks and capes and spandex dotted the front yard of Mitzi's house. Cobwebs sprawled out along the front porch, and through the dark windows of the mansion strobe lights blinded people. Speakers were hidden among bushes, blasting an array of mood music and the Billboard Top 100.

Rio – dressed up like The Joker from Batman, was absently tossing his fake knife from one hand to the other. "This is wild."

"Did Mitzi invite all of Southern California?" Ellis asked. He hadn't been kidding about the nun costume – he was wearing it with the hood up, making him look more like an assassin than a church guy. At least Anna convinced him to leave the ruler at home.

Bloom shook her head. After a two-hour gaming session of American McGee's Alice with Ryo, she knew that was who she wanted to be for Halloween. It was also nice that the costume wasn't a frumpy piece of cloth that stretched around her body, and instead looked like an actual modest dress (something that made her happy and Andy a little less happy). "I don't know. It's not a bad assumption."

"So," Mark said, adjusting the fedora on his head (he'd forgotten the money for costume shopping, and settled for coming as a mafia boss), "Since we're stuck here for a while, who's got plans?"

"I say we stake out the trampoline," Anna replied. "The further from away from these nuts we are, the better."

"Plus we'll have cover when the cops show up." Rio grinned.

"After you call them," Roxy added.

"Shh! Someone will hear you."

Andy rolled his eyes. "Well if we're going to make claim on the trampoline, let's do it now."

"I'll go look inside for some drinks." Rio said, eyeing two guys carrying a keg into the house.

"Make sure its bottled this time," Mark said. "And don't get distracted."

"Me? Distracted? Why that is just so…hey, are those new shoes?" With a wink, he headed towards the front door, disappearing in the crowd.

"Well, if Rio's the only thing we have to be seriously concerned about, tonight will be better than I thought."

"I told you, you were overreacting." Roxy said. "Now come on."

Much to everyone's surprise, the area near the huge ground trampoline in Mitzi's backyard was deserted – everyone was still inside the house. So when the party moved outside, no one tried to take the area. Whether that be because they were respectful or didn't want to hang out with a bunch of nerds, Andy wasn't sure. But he had his best friends, his girlfriend, and was sharing the two beers Rio had scored from inside. In his opinion, life was good.

"Ok, truth or dare?"

"…Truth."

Mark tapped his finger against the ground thoughtfully. "…Would you make out with Mitzi for a Klondike Bar?"

Ellis glared at him while everyone else burst out laughing. "What kind of question is that?"

"One from a slightly tipsy man forced to serve pizza at his little sister's slumber parties."

"Someone has a pathetic social life," Bloom sang.

"Shh, I want to hear this!" Anna insisted, waving her hand in a 'shut up' gesture. "These are the kind of things I'll tell my sister-in-law when we're middle-aged and drunk."

Ellis glared at her. "Moving on…I would not. I love my ice cream, but not that much."

"It's not the ice cream, it's the girl."

"Hey, I don't mean to alarm anybody," Rio said lowly. "But either Gotham City has come to life sooner than we all expected, or Elle's on her way over here with a stuffed chest."

Everyone's heads turned simultaneously in the direction of the house. Sure enough, Mitzi's right-hand was heading toward them, dressed in a skintight Cat Woman suit. Any boy she passed had their jaw hanging halfway to the ground. The girls all rolled their eyes at each other.

"Hey all," Elle greeted, flipping her hair back behind her shoulder. "I'm glad to see you all changed your mind about tonight."

Rio shrugged nonchalantly. "There was nothing good on T.V."

"I'm sure." She smirked. "You mind if I have a sip?" she asked, motioning to the half-drank beer bottle at Andy's side. "You're pretty much the only people I know who won't have a date rape drug in it."

Andy and Bloom exchanged a glance. Once he saw Bloom wasn't that concerned over it, he grabbed the bottle and held it out to her. "Go nuts."

"Thanks. I like the matching costumes, by the way. Alice and the Mad Hatter; too cute."

Bloom nodded. "Thanks."

"Yeah…hey, have you guys been in the house yet? The game room is decked out. Someone got a pre-release copy of Halo 2, and there's a whole bunch of other PS2 games."

"No way." Anna said, her eyes wide. Bloom could tell by the look in her eyes that her inner nerd was kicking in.

"Seriously. I was just about to head over there now. You with me?"

"Def –" Anna started to stand, but before she could Andy and Ellis grabbed her by the sash around her waist and pulled her back. She bounced back on the trampoline. "Ow! Guys!"

"I don't know," Rio said with a shrug. "We are perfectly content where we are. Plus, there are bound to be other guys who'd be much more appreciative of that costume."

Elle looked ready to strangle him, but after a moment she regained her composure. "Aww, come on. There's so much to do here, I'm sure you all wouldn't mind a little break from each other."

While she was still talking, Anna leaned down and put her head between Bloom and Andy's shoulders. "I know we hate her, and this is probably a trap, but I need to see that game. And we'll be together; strength in numbers and all that jazz."

Bloom glanced at Andy. "Cool with you?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Let's do it."

"I'll check out the game room." Ellis said, standing and hopping off the trampoline. Anna quickly followed, as did everyone else. Andy stayed on, and when the trampoline was empty he bounced until he gained enough momentum to do a front flip off it. He landed on his feet, put an arm around Bloom, and started walking, ignoring Elle's gaping jaw. "Does anyone have the time?" he asked.

"Ten thirty."

"Curfew is at midnight. Will that be enough time to sober up anyone who's tipsy?"

"I'll be fine." Mark insisted. "Ellis?"

"I'll be fine to drive, but we should probably grab some soda or something so our breath doesn't smell like beer."

"There's a few crates of soda in the dining room," Elle spoke up as they entered the house. The bass was loud in their ears, and there had to be at least fifteen kids in the small hallway alone.

"You guys know where it is?"

"I do," Bloom said. "How about Roxy, Ellis and I go grab some?"

"Why not all girls?"

"Oh no," Anna insisted, grabbing Rio by the shirt collar. "I am going to see my Halo."

Andy chuckled and followed the smaller group up the stairs after giving Bloom a quick kiss.

Upstairs seemed to be a little less crowded, until they got to the hallway by the game room. Everyone exchanged a glance and followed Elle inside. It was decorated with even more cobwebs and two huge TVs. One was a game Andy had never seen before, and the other was in the middle of a cut scene from Halo. Anna grinned and practically ran over to the screen. Andy pitied the fool who had the controller.

"Hey guys, I didn't think Elle would find you."

Mitzi. Why wasn't Andy surprised? She had on a gypsy costume with a short skirt, closely resembling Esmeralda from the Disney movie. Her hair was back in a bandana, and her eyes were coated with purple shadow. She batted her eyelashes at Andy. "How's the party?"

"Insane as always," he replied. His gaze fell to the screen as the high scores for some multiplayer dance game popped up. "Who's been playing?"

"Mainly me and the girls. Why? Jealous?"

"You're kidding." Mark chuckled. "Those scores are pathetic."

"You dare call them 'high scores'?"

Elle glared at Rio. "You can do better?"

"In my sleep, sweetheart."

"Should you really be calling her that?" Mitzi smirked. Rio fell silent. "Where's your little friend? It's a rare occasion she's not glued to your hip."

"Who's she talking about?" Mark whispered to Andy. His friend shrugged.

Rio was glaring at her. "For your information, we can live for more than five minutes away from each other. But we're not talking about that. Step aside and let a real player take a crack at the game."

"I'm in," Mark added.

"Ditto." Rio said. He held his hand out to Audrey expectantly. "Controller." With an eye roll she obliged.

"Aww, you're kicking us off? I thought I had a good chance of beating Andy."

"Dream on," he said, grabbing a guitar. "The three of us could beat you blindfolded."

"Is that a bet?" she smirked.

Andy glared at her. So that was the plan. "What're the stakes?"

She tapped a purple finger against her cheek, as though deep in thought. "If I win…I get twenty seconds of lip time. Anything goes."

It got quiet. People were slowly gathering around; even Anna, who had the other PlayStation controller in her hand. She rushed forward and grabbed Andy by the shoulder. "Don't. We all know it's a bad idea."

"Nobody asked you." Mitzi said with an icy grin

"Shut up, bitch." Anna snapped. She got the reward of seeing her eyes widen in pure shock. "Have you considered you don't have a boyfriend because you're only good for display, not purchase?"

"Anna!" Before Mitzi could charge forward and tear her to shreds or vice versa, Mark grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her towards the edge of the circle forming around the TV. "You're going to get us killed."

"No, I'm going to get arrested once I put this controller through her thick skull." But she didn't move, and her tense shoulders relaxed.

"What do you say Andy?" Mitzi asked again.

"I want something if I win."

"Anything in mind?"

"You. Out of my life. You don't mess with me or Bloom for the rest of the year."

She shrugged and held out her hand. "Deal."

"Don't do it." Mark muttered under his breath.

Andy shook her hand. "Let's do it."

"Ladies first." Ryo said. "I mean, Audrey's the only one on your team, but still."

"Ooh!" the crowd yelled.

Audrey smirked. "Fine." She turned and grabbed a water from the nearby cooler. She screwed off the cap and took a large gulp. "Anybody else want one for the show?"

"Pass me one." Andy said. He caught it as it was thrown at him (probably aimed for his skull). He twisted the cap easily and downed half of it. "This'll be better than a comedy movie."

Mitzi smirked. "Maybe."

"Soda, people," Roxy muttered as they looked through the freezer. "It's not that hard of a concept."

"I give up," Ellis said, his feet dangling from the counter. His nun costume was gathered at his hips so his legs were free. Thank God he'd worn jeans under it. "There isn't a non alcoholic beverage in this whole place."

"Found it!" Bloom called from the walk-in pantry.

"I stand corrected."

Bloom re-entered the main kitchen, carrying a six pack of Pepsi. She set it down on the counter and opened it up, passing the sodas around. "They aren't that cold, but they should do the trick getting the alcohol off our breath."

"Didn't they prove this false on MythBusters or something?" Roxy asked, taking a long gulp.

"Probably," Ellis said, cringing as he swallowed. "Pepsi. Disgusting."

"Coke person?"

"Since birth, my girl."

"Hey, so long as we don't get grounded, you can keep chugging."

"Excuse me," a voice spoke up from behind them. They all turned to see a boy with jet-black hair and an Elvis costume. "Could I have one of those?"

"Masking alcohol?" Roxy smirked.

He grinned and shrugged. "Got me."

"I'm sure with your costume, you can guess the price," she smirked, handing him a drink.

He laughed and took a deep breath, then curled his upper lip. "A-thank you. Thank ya very much."

Everyone laughed and applauded. The boy gave a fake bow and took a long swig. "I suck I know."

"No," Roxy shook her head. "It wasn't bad."

"I haven't seen you around." Ellis said. "You from Gardenia High?"

"New transfer. I'm Dylan."

"I'm Ellis. This is Bloom – despite the hair she has a soul." The comment caused Bloom to throw her empty can at him, which he dodged easily. "And this is Roxy."

He nodded. "I love the pink wig."

"It's real."

"Shut up. That's so cool. I can't believe your parents let you."

She shrugged. "My dad's pretty laid back."

Bloom and Ellis exchanged a glance. "Let's go meet up with the others." She said slowly, grabbing a few more sodas out of the container.

"Yeah," Ellis agreed. "Dylan? You want to come?"

"So long as I'm not a third wheel or anything."

Ellis and Bloom looked at each other and laughed. "No way, man. Her boyfriend's upstairs. We've been friends since third grade."

Dylan laughed. "A permanent resident of the friend zone, are we?"

"As I am with him." Bloom replied.

"Well, I'm sure your real boyfriend's fantastic."

"Ryo, you've got to save me!"

"That's the third time, you moron! Play!"

"I am playing!"

"Come on Andy!" Anna yelled. She'd never seen them perform so terribly. Her friend seemed utterly lost, and Mark's movements weren't registering, despite the fact he was in the green zone on the TV. Ryo was the only one performing with any quality, and even then it was bad. Suddenly, the screen dropped, replaced with a large text that read 'Stage Failed'.

Andy stared at it miraculously. The other girls had finished the set. That meant…

"Alright ladies!" Elle yelled as she, Mitzi and Audrey shared a group hug.

"No. That's impossible."

"And we supposedly sucked," Audrey laughed.

Anna approached the boys. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know…I feel so weird…"

"I'm guessing you've never had vodka."

They turned to look at the girls, all of them smirking. "What do you mean?" Mark asked slowly.

"That water had vodka mixed in. It was for the sappy nerds who wanted to just mess with my game room. I assumed you knew by the taste."

"You put alcohol in my drink to make me lose!"

"It's your own fault really." Mitzi said nonchalantly as a smirk spread across her face. "But with glorious outcomes if you ask me."

"Can I kiss Rio?" Audrey giggled, putting her arm around him.

Mark's eyes widened. He grabbed Anna and started to pull her through the crowd. "We've got to find Bloom before she sees this."

"No shit, Sherlock. But where do we find them?"

"I'm assuming the kitchen." He replied as they made their way out of the main crowd. They ran for the door and threw it open.

And promptly came face to face with Bloom, Ellis, Roxy, and an unknown boy.

Bloom gave them an odd look. "Um, are we –"

"Come on," Anna said before she could finish, grabbing her arm and starting to drag her down the hallway. "We need some cold water, a bucket, and possibly a crowbar."

"Anna what's happening?"

"Nothing. Why would anything be happening?"

"Anna," Ellis said sternly. "What's going on?"

She looked at Mark, who shrugged helplessly. "Maybe we should –"

"Wow." Dylan commented before he could finish. "Who's the dude in the Mad Hatter costume sucking face with Mitzi?"

Anna cringed, and Bloom's face went cold. "What?"

"Now Bloom we can explain…"

Before Anna could say anything else, Bloom stormed down the hallway and back into the room. Either the crowds were parted just right, or they'd heard her loud stomping, but there was an opening to where the gaming supplies were set up. And she could clearly see Mitzi entangled with Andy, their lips interlocked.

Andy. Her Andy. Her boyfriend.

And even worse, he was letting Mitzi do it. There was certainly enough yelling around them to snap him out of a shock. But there was no fighting back, no anything.

When Bloom saw him put a hand on her shoulder, she reeled her arm back and threw one of the soda cans at him. It hit him square on the head, knocking his lips away from hers. When he turned and saw her, his jaw dropped.

Before he could say anything, she turned and raced out of the room.

Roxy stared at her friend with equal shock. "Andy?"

"Roxy I can explain…"

"What the hell is your problem? How could you…"

She trailed off as her eyes landed on Rio. Audrey's arms were around him, and she saw a pink rose lying near their feet. Audrey caught sight of her, and with a smirk crushed the rose under a stiletto heel.

So much for that bouquet.

"Roxy did you hear what I said? It was just a bet…"

She gulped. "I need to go find Bloom."

"Already on it," Anna said, and ran out of the room.

"What's wrong with you?" Ellis asked.

"Nothing." She shook her head. "It's more like what's wrong with you guys, anyway. How –"

Just as she was about to speak, Dylan grabbed her from behind, spun her around, and crashed his lips onto hers.

Ellis looked at them in shock, and then back at Mark and Rio. Before his head could snap back to Roxy, he saw Rio's ears turn and his jaw clench. Mark turned and caught sight of Rio, and then Andy saw Mitzi and Elle smirking behind them.

It clicked in all three boys' heads at the same time. Ellis and Mark rushed forward and grabbed Roxy, yanking her backwards and away from Dylan. She turned and ran out of the room after Bloom. Andy then stepped forward and put his shot-put arm to use, giving Dylan a right hook that knocked him into the cooler. "Don't touch her ever again, or you'll answer to me."

"Ooh, I'm shaking." He snapped, his voice less friendly.

"How much did she pay you?"

"I didn't pay," Mitzi spoke up. She was grinning cheekily. "He's my cousin."

Rio rolled his eyes. "Let's go find the girls."

"But I still have at least ten seconds of lip action left."

Andy's fists clenched. Before Mark, Ellis, or Rio (who was just starting to understand what'd happened) could stop him, he rushed forward and grabbed Mitzi by the front of her dress, yanking her against him. There was a deadly look in his eyes. The room became silent, everyone staring at him.

"Shut. Up." He finally said, his voice low. "I don't know what fueled this insane obsession with me, but I am really sick of it. And you've just hurt three people I love a lot. If you had a decent bone in your entire body, you'd be upset like me. But all you care about is yourself. Let me be clear," he said, his eyes turning to look at Elle and Audrey, who had their jaws dropped. "You are all heartless losers, and I will never care about you. And you," he turned back to Mitzi, "are the most pathetic thing I've ever seen." He let go of her then, and she reeled back. "I'm going to find Bloom, and I don't want any of your ridiculous tricks, understand? Let's go guys."

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and stalked walking. And as he did, someone started clapping. Then another person. Then another. Mark and Rio followed him, then Ellis. By the time they reached the hall, they had a huge round of applause cheering them on, and Mitzi was standing there with her whole face red.

Andy didn't have time to bask in his accomplishment. "Does anyone know where they went?"

At that moment, Ellis' phone went off. Everyone turned to look at him as he pulled it out and read. "It's Anna." He said. "She has my car. The girls left."

Rio banged his head against the wall. "Shit."

Andy stood there, not really believing the words. "What just happened?"

Ellis cringed a little. "I think…you were just dumped."

...Baby, it's over now,
Maybe, my ups are all downtown,
So far away, I'm too lost to be found.
Baby, this time we're through.
Maybe, I guess you knew
Nothing matters anymore...

The Secret to New York (We The Kings)