Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the wait on this chapter. I've had some serious Writer's Block and seeing how my true life experiences play into this story, the memories are difficult to put in writing, since it's very detailed and hard to remember exactly. Again, I'm sorry for the wait on this. This is one of my longest chapters. I'm just glad I was able to get this chapter done for all of you to enjoy :)

Campfire Party

APRIL 28th, 2011

"You heading out Mordecai?" Rigby asked.

"Yep, to Margaret's birthday party, remember?" I said while grabbing my spare key to the house.

"Oh yeah, right. Hope you have fun, tell Eileen I said 'Hi'."

"You're not coming?"

"Nah, I'm just gonna chill today."

"I'm surprised…"

"Huh?"

"I thought you'd want to hang out with your girlfriend."

"Eileen told me that it's best for couples to have space once and awhile."

"Okay, that's it," I plopped down on the couch next to him.

"What?"

I laughed, "You have been hanging out with Eileen a lot."

"She knows a lot about relationships…" Rigby started to frown and lowered his head. "She told me she used to read books about relationships, hoping that whatever she learned, would work on me, and I ignored her the whole time. God, I was an idiot."

"Hey, you two are together now. That's what matters." I patted Rigby on the back, cheering him up.

"You're right, we are together now. We love each other, I mean; I was talking about planning to have sex with her a week ago. Remember?"

"Hah! How could I forget? I mean that image was stuck in my head."

"What image?'

"Nothing, nothing."

"Hey Mordecai?"

"Yeah?" I slipped on my jacket.

"Do you think Eileen is interested? You know in…doing it?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"I don't know, I'm just, just nervous."

"Chill man. Just play some video games and calm your nerves."

Rigby grabbed the controller and started playing. "Yeah…yeah good idea." His voice was shaky.

"You okay?"

"I wonder…I wonder how Eileen looks like naked," he said in a dazed state.

I've lost him.

"Well uh…I'm just gonna, gonna go now." I opened the door and left the house. It would be interesting to see what would happen if those two actually did do "it".

Oh god, he's got me thinking about it now.

My phone vibrated.

[Margaret]: You coming?

[Me]: Totally!

[Margaret]: Awesome :D

The original idea of the party was to have a slumber party, but after that day at the diner, she decided to have a nice campfire in her backyard. Something chill, just close friends of hers would be there and we would all hang out. I had asked her what she would like for her birthday. She said that my friendship was enough for her.

I blushed of course.

In the end though, I made her a gift. Something personal.

I arrived a short time later, seeing two cars parked across the street. It was four o'clock, the sky turning a bit orange. I parked the golf cart in the driveway and walked up to the door. I took three knocks at the door, then heard bare feet on the wooden floor. The door flung open to reveal an orange cat with short cut hair and emerald green eyes. She wore black jeans and a black shirt, with a pink heart on it.

"Hello?" she said.

"Yeah, I'm here for Margaret's party. I'm Mordecai."

"Ohhh! So you're Mordecai. Margaret's told me about you. Come on, come on in." She led me inside with haste and straight to the backdoor. I only got a few glimpses of the living room and kitchen, until she led me to the backdoor. She pushed the door open that led to a wooden deck: I saw a long table with six seats to my left and a grill to my right. Down the steps there was trampoline to the left, blue outlining with netting. To the far right was small a shed. In the center of the yard, there was a campfire pit with foldup chairs surrounding it. Margaret and Eileen were jumping on the trampoline.

"Hey, Margaret, Mordecai's here!" The cat yelled.

Margaret took a look towards the deck while in the air.

"Oh hey, you made it!" she said. "That's Amy next to you by the way."

"Oh, hey Amy," I shook her hand. She returned by giving me a light smile.

"Hey Mordecai!" I heard Eileen shout.

"Yeah?"

"Come on, join us!"

"On the trampoline?"

"What else?" She laughed.

"Yeah, right," I laughed nervously.

God, that was a stupid question.

I stepped off the deck and onto the soft grass. Getting closer to the trampoline, I was able to get a better glimpse of what they were wearing. Eileen wore a pink shirt with a black skirt that went down to her knees. Margaret wore a white shirt with blue jean shorts. I pulled back the netting entrance and got onto the shaky surface. It took me awhile to gather my balance until I started to jump with them. Margaret's laugh filled me with joy, as we all bounced together.

"Happy Birthday Margaret!" I said while bouncing.

"Thanks, glad you could make it!"

"So…am I early?" I said noticing not many people here.

"No, this is all. Like I said…I only…invited the closest. Amy's in the house…and the other two guys…are out front." Margaret said, still bouncing.

"Other two?"

"Yeah, my friend Bobby and my boyfriend Repar."

Everything went silent. Not even the sound of the springs could be heard. All I heard was 'Repar'.

This is it. I'll finally see what he looks like.

As I continued to bounce, I saw two human guys walk around the corner of the house and into the backyard. One had short cut, brown hair and a somewhat rugged face. He wore a purple shirt with grey sweat shorts and white sneakers. The other guy was blond wearing a grey tee and white sweat shorts. I tried to distinguish which one was Repar, and which one was Bobby.

"Oh, there they are now," Margaret said. She stopped bouncing and hopped off the trampoline. She then went up to one of them and gave him a hug and kissed him on the check, all seeming heartfelt. It was the guy wearing the purple shirt.

That's…that's Repar?

What the hell? I mean, it's not that the guy's ugly, but I'm a hell of a lot better looking than him.

I stopped bouncing and got off the trampoline to greet him, just to get a sense of who he was. As I got closer, Margaret and Repar noticed my footsteps and turned towards me.

"Oh Mordecai, this is Repar. Repar, Mordecai." She let go of his embrace and let him shake my hand. He had a cold, firm grip.

"Hey Mordecai," Repar said in a semi-deep voice.

"Hey," I said observing his greeting. Sure, I may not be Margaret's boyfriend, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't be protective. I've seen too many of her boyfriends to know that all of them end up being jerks or just lame. Like a father observing his daughter's first date, I'd make sure that this guy would be right for her.

The guy next to him, Bobby, gave me a quick nod.

"Well, I'll let you guys get acquainted. I'll go get Amy and then we can get the fire started," Margaret said, going back into the house.

"So, how are you doing Mordecai?" Repar asked.

"Fine, you?"

"Alright…so you're Margaret's friend?"

"Yeah."

"Well uh, tell me about yourself man." Repar spotted a football on the ground. He picked it up and held it in his palm. "You play football?"

"I toss it around every now and again. I mostly just play video games."

"Cool, cool. You just want to toss around then?"

"Yeah, that's alright."

Repar and I went further in the yard where we'd have space to toss it around. Repar made the first throw. I caught it.

"So where do you work Mordecai?"

"At the park." I tossed the ball. "I'm a ground worker with my friend Rigby."

"How's it like?"

"Not regular, I'll tell you that. What about you?"

"I'm a sports guy, laid-back. I don't have a job. I'm still in college."

"With Margaret?"

"No, a different college. It specifies in my future career."

"Which is?" I threw the ball.

"Possibly a lawyer."

"Nice…hey where's the guy that was standing next to you earlier?" I asked with the ball in my arm.

"I don't know, probably in the house talking to Amy." We both stood there motionless for a moment. Repar broke the silence. "We need some tunes. I'll go in the house, get the laptop, and see if we can find anything. Be right back man." He nodded at me and jogged into the house. I saw Eileen sitting on the trampoline, just looking out into the sky. I went to go talk to her.

"Oh, hey Mordecai," she said in her normal, happy tone.

"Hey," I said while propping myself on the trampoline. "Everything okay? You were just sitting here by yourself, staring out into space."

"Oh I'm fine, just…thinking."

"About what?"

"Well…what do you think about me and Rigby?"

"You guys are perfect for each other. I'm happy to know you two are together." I patted her on the shoulder.

"Good, good, because I've been thinking about something."

"Shoot."

"I just…I feel like I need to do more."

"What do you mean?"

"I like Rigby, I love him, and I want to truly show that."

Aw crap, I know where this is going.

"Um, what did you have in mind?" I said innocently, acting like I didn't know what she meant. She went up to whisper something in my ear, then sat back, blushing at what she told me.

"Crazy idea huh?" She said, still blushing.

"Not really. A lot of couples think about that at some point in their relationship."

"I know, but me doing it? I just…"

"What are your concerns?"

"…Am I attractive enough for that kind of thing?"

I had to really think about what I was going to say. The slightest mistake could ruin everything. I mean two people wanting to take their relationship to the next level, haven't talked about it to one another, and I ended up giving them advice. I didn't want to ruin it for those two…Rigby might hate me for this.

"Look, I'll be honest, Rigby's been thinking about it too."

"Really?" She said in muzzled excitement.

"Well yeah! He's fantasizing about it. He cares about you, he loves you. He's willing to do this to make this relationship better than it already is. And yes, you are attractive and Rigby thinks the same. Sure, he's was oblivious to the whole thing in the beginning, but you and me both know he was hiding something. Trust me, everything's going to be fine."

Eileen smiled at me and gave me a hug. "Thanks Mordecai."

"Anytime." I held her shoulder in support.

The wind started to pick up, sending a slight chill in the air. The sky was dark as the clouds passed by the sun temporarily.

"I got the food you guys!" Margaret yelled as she came back outside. She was carrying what looked like some hot dogs, crackers, and chocolate and Amy was carrying a box of pizza.

I wonder what roasted pizza taste like.

Repar came out with a laptop, along with Bobby carrying some soda.

Repar yelled, "Now let's get that fire start-" Eileen had already made a fire in the pit. Everyone was shocked by this except me and Margaret. We both knew her hidden talents after the camping trip.

"Um…I've had experience this," Eileen said, slightly embarrassed. But everyone else didn't mind it all. They were actually pretty impressed.

We all took our seats after getting the food together. There were six seats surrounding the campfire. Repar sat in one seat with Margaret sitting on his lap. (Ugh.) Amy sat next to Repar to his right. To his left sat Bobby, then me, then Eileen. Eileen used the left over seat to prop her feet. For about thirty minutes I stayed silent, not really sure on what I should talk about. Amy, Bobby, Margaret, and Eileen all shared stories about the crazy stuff they used to get themselves into. I felt like a third wheel most of time and just smiled at what everyone else was smiling about. It was only until Bobby noticed this, that he said something.

"So Mordecai, tell us about yourself."

"Well, it's pretty crazy actually."

"With all the stuff we've been talking about, I think we can handle crazy."

"Really?"

"Yeah, shoot."

"Okay then…" I had spent the last thirty minutes recounting the many adventures I had at the park, even some Eileen and Margaret didn't know about. I talked about all of my near death experiences as well my many encounters of other world creatures. I was going to stop, to avoid being too show-offy, but they wanted more. There were just a few things I decided not to tell and one of them was the 'double date'. Reasons why, were simple: The fact that I'd have to mention how Rigby didn't seem all amused by being with Eileen, the fact that I made a fool out of myself because of Rigby's solids, therefore pissing off Margaret at some points, and, the biggest factor, the final solid I had to do that judged whether we all would survive the night. Margaret and Eileen didn't mention this either, probably feeling the same way I did about the whole thing.

Repar was an okay guy. The whole time he had Margaret in his lap, he was never over doing it or seeming smug about it. He had some interesting stories to tell and seemed nice, but I wasn't done with him yet. As we continued to roast our food and listen to tunes from the laptop, we all got a little restless. I suggested we could just jump on the trampoline to pass the time. They all agreed, but there was a twist. A wrestling match on the trampoline.

"Okay, who wants to go first?" Repar asked.

"Bobby and I will go," Amy said.

"Okay, just know, I won't go easy on you," he said playfully.

"Neither will I."

"Okay we're going to need a timer for each match. Anyone got a timer on their phone?" Repar asked.

"I do," I said, pulling out my phone. "How long?"

"Hmm…three minutes, per match."

"Alright…got it." I then played on a referee voice as I went up to the two 'wrestlers'. "Alright guys, I want a good clean fight. No hitting below the bell and no claws Amy…or teeth. Ready? Fight!"

Amy was pretty tough, she was wearing the poor guy out. Bobby was able to get her down at some point. Neither one of them was holding back. In the end though, it was Bobby who won.

"Okay who's up next?"

"Oh, oh, me and Eileen," Margaret volunteered.

"Alright! Mordecai, you got your timer ready?"

"Yep." I set my timer to three.

Margaret and Eileen got on the trampoline, taking their fighting stances.

"Okay, fight!"

Those two looked like they were having a blast. They just playfully tackled each other and threw each other down while bouncing every now and again. Then, I had an idea. It was time to see what Repar was really worth.

I tapped him on his shoulder as he was watching the two fight. He was resting his arms on the trampoline. "Hey Repar."

"Yeah?" He gave me his attention.

"After this, you and me go."

"Okay, cool…hey look at Margaret."

I turned my attention to her. "Okay?"

"Now pay close attention, right about…here." Margaret was now tackled by Eileen, legs opened just a little. "Crotchshot." he said with a smile on his face.

"Crotchshot?"

"Yeah, see her panties?"

"Oh." I did chuckle at that coincidence, but a felt kind of disturbed by that. Was that really what he was paying attention to the whole time? I mean, sure I took just a few glance myself but not eyeing it down the whole time. The way he was able to spot it and time it like he did proved that. He may be Margaret's boyfriend, but something just didn't seem right about that.

Points off buddy.

Soon, a loud creak was heard, and the two stopped wrestling.

"Crap, I think we broke the trampoline," Margaret said. "Bobby could you check that?"

Bobby went to check the polls supporting the trampoline. "Yeah they're giving away. I think we should stop."

"Well looks like you and I can't go," Repar said to me.

"Yeah," I said, trying to hide my disappointment.

"I need to get something from the house, I'll be right back." Amy went into the house. On her way in, she turned the deck light on. It was starting to get pretty dark.

"So, Mordecai, you and Rigby seem like pretty close friends." He leaned against a tree with Bobby standing next to him.

"Yeah, we've known each other sense we were kids."

"Cool. You know I like the one story where you guys had the keyboard. Did you really go the moon?"

"Yeah. It was…well that's one of the things I won't ever soon forget."

"Still, awesome though."

"ALRIGHT, WHO WANTS CAKE?" Amy yelled, holding a big cake with a bunch of candles.

Please be chocolate. Please be chocolate.

"You got me a cake?" Margaret said excitingly.

"You know I couldn't forget about my friend!" Once Amy set down the cake on the porch table, Margaret went up to her and gave her a hug.

"Thanks Amy."

"No problem. Now come on let's eat!" Everyone gathered at the deck and took their seats. Margaret sat next to me and Repar and Bobby sat across from us. Amy and Eileen sat at the ends of the table. After we had sang the birthday song to her, we all chowed down on the cake. It was ice cream cake with blue icing and white frosting. After a couple of minutes of chatting amongst ourselves, everyone started to give out their gifts. Amy had gotten Margaret a CD of Fist Pump. Bobby and Repar got gift cards for her favorite stores, except Repar gave an extra birthday kiss. Eileen gave her a pretty cool makeup kit: Very flashy and impressive. I figured it was my turn to give my gift.

"Margaret, I got something for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I know you said I didn't have to get anything, but this is personal." I took out my phone and placed it on the table, turning the volume up for everyone to hear. It was a recording of me and Rigby singing a song in unison

Happy Birthday Margaret!

Ha-ppy Birthday Margaret!

We hope you have a real good time!

Your party's gonna be so sublime,

and with all the great wishes you make,

you're gonna score some birthday cake!

Partying, partying!

We are partying, partying!

Then we stopped singing and started talking.

"Hey Margaret, this Mordecai and Rigby, wishing you a Happy Birthday!"

"Yeah Happy Birthday!"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS DOING?"

"Oh crap, it's Benson."

"GET THE HELL OFF THAT PHONE AND GET BACK TO WORK!"

The recording ended with a lot of static. Everyone at the table started laughing.

"So I'm guessing that was Benson at the end?" Repar chuckled.

"Yeah, now you got a taste of him." I laughed.

Margaret gave me a warm smile. "Thanks Mordecai."

"You're welcome Margaret."

The wind started to pick up and everyone felt a chill.

"I think we should go inside," Eileen said. With that everyone went out and cleaned up all the mess in the yard and the deck.

[xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

"Who wants cola?" Margaret asked.

"I do!" The rest of shouted. We were all in Margaret's basement, gathered around the TV. We were just about to see an "Austin Towers" movie. "Goldmember" I think. Once we got the popcorn and soda, we could finally relax and enjoy a good film. I sat in recliner while Bobby sat in a chair with Amy on his lap. (Don't really know what's up with those two) Eileen sat on the floor with her legs crossed. Repar and Margaret were laying on the couch. Repar was laying behind Margaret, with the blanket covering them. I tried not to look annoyed by this.

So maybe I am getting jealous at this point, but come on. I'm the only guy at this party without 'someone', not to mention the fact I can't be with Margaret is literally being shoved in my face.

I didn't let that ruin anything about this party though. This was unlike any party I had ever been to. It wasn't too flashy, too loud: Just friends being together, celebrating their friend's birthday. Deep down, I really felt…calm, just chill. I never felt so truly relaxed.

Once the movie ended we all just chattered amongst ourselves. Repar, Bobby and I were talking about the latest video games, including 'Detective Man', to which I was going fanboy over. What can I say? I'm a fan. I checked my phone to see what the time was.

Ten o'clock.

That late already?

"It's starting to get late. Me and Amy got to get ready for work tomorrow," Bobby said.

"Yeah and I have to go class tomorrow," Repar said.

"You're leaving already?" Margaret asked in an innocent voice.

"Yeah," he kissed her on the forehead. "But, I'll call you okay?"

"Okay." She let go of his embrace. "Thank you all for coming. Drive home safely."

"It was fun, thanks for inviting us," Bobby said.

"Great party Margaret," Amy said.

"Love you babe," Repar said.

"Love you too," Margaret walked him to the door.

[xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Another hour had passed: Eleven o'clock now. Benson would probably be pissed knowing I'm not back at the house yet. I told Rigby to keep Benson cool until I came back. During the past hour, Margaret, Eileen, and I just sat back and watched TV. Chatting about life, how things have been with all of us.

"I have an announcement to make," I said as I stood up from the couch. "Eileen and Rigby are going to be taking their relationship to the next level!"

"Really? Come on, come on tell me!" Margaret started bouncing in her seat. Eileen told us what she wanted to do with Rigby…no really, she told us what she wanted to DO with Rigby. She even said she was planning to get a "Kama Sutra" book to learn some moves.

No comment.

At one point however, I did ask the two what my chances that I'd find a girl in this city. They both said I had a chance, but…I don't know. Currently my self-esteem is at a dangerously low level.

Eleven-thirty; my phone rung.

"Hello?"

"Yeah Mordecai, its Rigby. Benson is blowing a fus-"

"WHERE-IS-MORDECAI?" An object could be heard being thrown across the room.

"You need to get here quick man."

"Yeah...okay I'll be back in a bit." I hung up and put my phone in my jacket.

"Who was that?" Margaret asked.

"Rigby, he says Benson is pissed I'm not home yet."

"Aw, so you have to go?"

"Yeah…" I was a bit saddened by this. I wasn't ready for this day to end.

"Well here, I'll walk you to the door." She got up from the couch and led me to the door. The entire house was dark and the only light visible was from the street lights shining through the window.

"Get home safe okay?" Margaret said in a soft voice.

"Yeah…hey…" I gestured for her to give me a hug, spreading my wings open. She smiled and came over to me, wrapping her wings around me and I gently put mine on her back. I made sure to hug her with just a little more…I don't know, tenderness than I usually did. It just felt right. I was even thinking of sneaking a kiss, on the cheek, but that seemed like it was pushing it. And like I'd actually have the guts to do that? Please. I wanted to hug her longer, but she had already started to loosen up.

Goddammit, why do I get this emotionally with a hug that's supposed to be friendly?

"Thanks Margaret…I really…I really needed this." I said, sounding pleased with the whole day.

"I'm glad you had a good time."

"Yeah…" I then noticed Eileen looking at us and smiling, then waving me goodbye. I did the same for her. "You two have a goodnight" I said while walking out of the door.

"You too!" They shouted as I went to the golf cart. As I heard the door finally close, I had an epiphany that worried me.

This whole 'getting over Margaret' thing; wasn't going to get any easier.