One Month

The stack of books on Lydia's desk could rival any return stack at the library. She hadn't actually seen the surface of her desk in a week and she didn't expect to for at least another few weeks. She looked up from her long list of math problems as Allison walked in the door, her eyes barely clearing the top of the stack to glance balefully at her roommate.

"Please tell me you brought coffee."

"You trained me, didn't you?" Allison asked casually as she set a cup down on top of Lydia's books, breezing past her to fall atop her own bed. It was times like these, when Allison lounged peacefully across the room from her, blissfully unencumbered by stacks and stacks of homework and essays that Lydia doubted her decision to take so many heavy load courses. But if she was going to be premed, she couldn't waste any time. Though the offer from the math department did entice her. She'd always been fond of numbers…..

She snapped out of her trance as she realized Allison was talking to her.

"—so I was thinking we could drop by. You have got to take a break from that studying or you're going to go crazy."

"Uhhh, sounds good…. Where are we going again?" Allison playfully rolled her eyes and repeated herself.

"So, you in?"

"Sure. You're right, I do need a break."

'Party tonite. 10 at the Alco-falls. WE'RE GOING."

Scott and Stiles stared at the scrap of yellow paper attached to their fridge, puzzlement etched into their faces.

"I mean…. It looks like his writing…."

"And it sounds like him…."

"But…."

"Shut up and just be ready to go," Danny interrupted as he walked into the kitchen, digging through his backpack in search of something. "It's the only night I'll have off for at least a month, there's a really hot guy who's been eyeing me in Script Analysis that's supposed to be there, and I'm not going alone. Again." He looked up and cut off their admonishments with a glare. "You know it's true, don't bother denying it."

"FINE, we'll go. I should probably start making appearances anyway."

"Yes, you should. See? Stiles gets it. Scott, you're on my list. Now I'm off to class and I'm going to hope to whatever god is out there that my paper magically appears in my bag by the time I get there. See you at 9, and you better be ready!"

He breezed out of the kitchen as quickly as he entered. Scott frowned and turned to Stiles who was staring sadly out the door after him.

"It's too bad."

"I know," Scott agreed, moving to the fridge to pull out some sandwich fixings. "This totally kills the Mario Kart championship tonight."

"No." Stiles paused and then amended. "Not just that. My liver was enjoying the break."

Lydia eyed the house with more than a little trepidation.

"You want me to go in there?!" she asked in a barely sotto whisper. "It looks like it's filled with diseases. Or crackheads. Or worse…" she shuddered. "Frat boys." Allison laughed and nudged her shoulder into Lydia's.

"It's not full of any of those, promise. But it does have what is rumored to be the most amazing alcohol deliverance system in college history, so we're going."

Allowing herself to be led into the den of iniquity, she still side-eyed everyone as they breezed past the front door and down the steps to the basement, from whence the thumping bass was coming. Allison greeted the guy standing at the bottom of the steps like her long lost best friend and Lydia grinned as she mentally gave the girl props for her…. Powers of persuasion. Forcing herself to fake a state she didn't feel, she joined in the hugging and cooing over the cute boy with the shaved head and was rewarded with a free cup. Squealing with excitement, she kissed his cheek and was sucked into the party after Allison, the boy already pushed from her mind.

Now that they were in the belly of the beast, it wasn't as bad as she had previously thought. A quick glance gave her the layout of the room. Beer pong on the far end, next to an open doorway into a very dark room. The bar next to that in a tiny galley kitchen, manned by a very cute guy she was determined to get free shots from later. The dance floor took up most of the rest of the space, already packed with people moving and dancing and against the wall…

"Woah."

"I told you!"

Against the wall behind them was the most lavishly crafted zen waterfall machine. It reached floor to ceiling, the reservoir resting at about hip height. The liquid poured down and around valleys in the five foot long contraption, glowing an eerie red in the lights. They moved closer to it almost of their own volition, it's epicness only growing as they drew nearer.

"This is such a roofie hazard." She could feel Allison roll her eyes at her side.

"They monitor it silly. See?" She pointed to the guy standing guard at the end of the 'falls, looking either bored out of his mind or like he was mentally going over his finite homework as he manned his position.

"Fine. What's in here, anyway?" she asked, curious against her better judgment.

"Jungle Juice." A wry male voice spoke beside her. It was hard to make out his features in the dim light, but he was tall and thin and she could just make out his grin. "Everclear and Hawaiian Punch. But if they find out you know the secret recipe, you didn't get it from me." He mimed locking the side of his mouth and throwing the key into the alcohol and she laughed.

"Your secret's safe with me," she promised as she filled her cup from one of the many waterfalls. Alcofalls, she guessed it would be. An insistent tugging at her elbow alerted her to Allison's returned attention. "Thanks anyway," she called over the music as she was pulled away and into the throng.

"Bye!" he called as the hot redhead was pulled away and into the crowd of dancing collegiates. A hand clasped too enthusiastically on his shoulder, buckling him forward slightly and Stiles turned to see Scott, hanging on him, smiling like a loon. He always had been a bit of a lightweight. "Easy there, buddy. How's it going?"

"So good! These people are all So nice! Isn't it all So great?!" He laughed. And this is why Scott hardly ever went to parties with him.

"It IS great, bud!" He intercepted Scott's cup as he went to fill it up again. "No, dude. You should go talk to the bartender! He's got this new drink but it's super underwraps and he doesn't want a lot of people to know about it."

"Wait, really?" Scott was hanging on his every word, like Stiles knew he would.

"Yeah, man! Go tell him Stiles told you to ask for Special Water. He'll know what it is."

"Dude, thanks! Want me to get you some?" Stiles grinned and shook his head, holding up the cup he'd just filled.

"Naw, man, I'm set."

Scott scampered off towards the bar and Stiles let his eyes roam the crowd, finally spotting Danny dancing close to some guy he figured must be Mr. Script Analysis. He grinned and made a mental note to give Danny the third degree about it later. He didn't see the hot redhead and figured it was for the best. Taking another drink he pushed back towards the dance floor and towards his theatre friends, turning up the volume and personality as he went.

"Excuse me…. Pardon me…. Omg, not a chance in hell…. MOVE…."

Lydia dance-walked her way through the throng from the bar back to where Allison was waiting for her, drinks in hand above her so they wouldn't be spilled. "Sorry, just trying to get by here…." She pushed through a couple of girls, ignoring their glares as she had to quickly duck to avoid getting hit by a tall guy waving his hands around as he told some story his friends were laughing at. Ugh, rude. Seeing Allison, she finally passed through the rest of the crowd and handed off her drink.

"Thanks!" Allison chirped, slinging a graceful arm around her neck as they danced, pulling Lydia into the beat with her as they showed off for a couple of cute guys a few feet away. Lydia laughed and rolled her eyes as she got caught up in their game, her annoyance at the rude partygoers fading from her tipsy brain.

"Yo, Aiden! We need body shots up in here, bro!" Stiles laughed a little too loudly as Aiden from Theatre History flipped him off with a smile. "Thanks man, but maybe later!" He turned and leaned against the bar as he searched out his friends and the unreasonably hot drunk girl he'd talked into taking body shots with him. Damn, tonight was his lucky night.

"Pay up, bro." He turned back to the bar, eyes catching on a bright head of hair at the end of the bar. Her dark eyes flitted up and caught his, shining bright with her drunken mirth. Maybe it was his lucky night in more than one way. He gave her a small salute and turned back to Aiden as he fished out his wallet.

"What's the girl at the end getting? The redhead?" Aiden glanced over and grinned.

"Coupla Malibu shots for her and her friend. Why?"

"They're on me," he answered, slipping an extra five in with his money for the tray of shots Aiden had whipped up.

"Got it, man." Stiles winked at him and, with one last glance at the hot girls at the end, picked up his tray and headed back, mind filled with thoughts of the blonde he was going to be doing shots off of filling his mind once again.

"They were already on the house," Aiden said with a grin, tucking the extra five in his pocket. He wasn't going to complain, though.

A/N: Sooooo thoughts? Sorry for the long ass delay. Can't even make up an excuse besides I was busy and just had no time. But I'm back for now, so enjoy. One more and then the beginning of the original shot. Bear with me!

Please review so I know how you're liking it! :)