This chapter title is a combination of the song titles "When you see my friends" by Mayday Parade and "Stay away from my friends" by Pierce the Veil. Both amazing songs you should check out, they sort of inspired the chapter. In a way- because their lyrics- are, uh, creative. So this little chapter actually went by a bit fast for me. It was written quickly, and I'm still so happy that I'm actually getting into a rhythm with this story that it could end up seeming rather rushed. I'm still learning the proper way to write, and I've decided to keep reading more and more books to get a feel on that. Ugh. So this one isn't the best, actually. And there's some Jackunzel if you squint. I actually have plot omfg I'm still excited for that. :)

Kynnie2 -Your review made my night. Do you understand how happy I was when you said you prefer my story over the far better ones? LET ME LOVE YOU.

Guest -Hopefully you like this chap, though there's not that much of Mericcup in there. XD But don't worry, I've got a plan for them. Which shall be revealed soon enough!

Freesia Lily- Okay, so I absolutely adored every character of your review. I love hearing what you think about specifics there during the story. Plus, long reviews make my days brighter, because there is so much to love about them!

AliceCullen3 - Even though it's just a simple "love it" that you post, I'd like to thank you for that. It reassures me. It tells me that I'm not loosing my amazing readers such as you. :)

Redblues- It's totally not a problem to thank you. And here's your shoutout again! Hehe, I was so happy when I read your review. I was grinning like an idiot from start to finish. XD

CaptainBeer - Not much jealousy here- but maybe you'll get your wish soon!

WonderWizard -You're so sweet! Here's another chapter for you. ;p

MissRainicorn - I totally understand if your reviews get prolonged. I'm just glad you're still reading, and I absolutely dig what you're saying about Flynn. It's so hard to characterize him to be himself but at the same time a rival for me.

xX-T-luv-Xx : Jack is totally the princess, Tam. Think about it! *shows you entire powerpoint about it*

changeofheart505 - Your reviews always make me happier. They give me something to look forward to, your humor. :)

They had all started out together. Driving in Merida's car, all of them arguing over music choices.

Jack wanted something indie-ish and mopey sounding.

Merida was calling for metal or something punk rock.

Rapunzel was calling for boy bands or something infectious and pop.

And Hiccup wanted some classics, but yelled at all of them to shut up while he was trying to drive. So they all did.

Merida and Jack decided to try and thumb wrestle over who got control of the radio, but it ended badly. Jack was strangling Merida in a headlock before Rapunzel yanked them apart. Merida then kneed Jack in the groin like she had done in detention.

When they were almost there, Hiccup yelled at Merida and Jack to shut up again as their arguments grew louder. Rapunzel was singing to a song playing on the radio, and she lowered the sun roof to stick her head out. Her braided hair whipped around her in the wind, her arms thrown up over her head and lyrics being screamed from her lips.

Merida changed the song to one full of screaming and electric guitars. Hiccup complained of Satan while Jack tried to scream along. Rapunzel was horrified that it even classified as music.

Soon afterward, they had arrived. The house, a modern style, was busy. A few people lingered, smoking on the porch and cars lined the block.

Hiccup parked a few houses down, and the others grabbed their things to follow him out of the car.

"We won't lose each other in there, right?" Rapunzel asked. "We'll all stay together."

"The pact, Punz, remember?" Jack said.

"You know- just to verify again," Rapunzel's eyes were wide.

"Yes, Rapunzel," Merida said with a smile. "We won't."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Hiccup replied.

An hour later, they were all lost.

When they first walked in, they had expected the attention. The stares. The way people whispered as the four walked by. The recoils at noticing that Rapunzel had brought along a jock, a nerd, and a loner with her to a party specifically for the cooler crowd.

"Ignore them," Merida had said sharply, pulling Hiccup away from a menacing football player.

"Fuck them," Jack had told Rapunzel as another girl wrinkled her nose in disgust at them.

They weren't going to leave one another. But somehow, they did.

"Merida?" Rapunzel pushed past a few people. "Jack? Hiccup?" They had all separated after a few drinks, loosing themselves in the crowd. A song played, one with crude lyrics and a head-bopping beat. A couples grinding next to her almost collided with Rapunzel, she gave them a weirded out look and kept moving. Pushing through the people.

"Rapunzel!" Tooth found Rapunzel in the crowd, and pushed a red cup into her hand. "A drink?"

"No thanks, Ana, I couldn't," Rapunzel said, trying to give it back, but Tooth shook her head, her multicolored hair swaying.

"You look worried. Trust me, you need it," she said firmly. Rapunzel frowned.

"I appreciate it, Ana, but I don't," she said coldly. Tooth narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Alright. Fine," she said, taking the cup back. "Were's Flynn?"

"I-" Rapunzel began, but Tooth but her off.

"It's funny, you know, because when Aster asked him if he was coming, he said that the invite was never passed along to him," she said. "Isn't that so weird?"

"What are you playing at, Toothiana?" Rapunzel crossed her arms.

"Nothing," Tooth shrugged, and her sentence wasn't said meanly. It was just a statement. "But Flynn was curious about who exactly took you to this party."

"It's none of his business, I came with some friends," Rapunzel huffed.

"That doesn't seem like a relationship to me-" Tooth gave Rapunzel this look. One that had an I-know-much-more-than-you-do aura.

"Whatever," Rapunzel dismissed it. "Have you seen Jack? Or Merida or Hiccup?" Tooth looked shocked.

"God, I had heard that some losers crashed, but to-" she started.

"You said you were Jack's friend," Rapunzel's green eyes flashed dangerously.

"I am, Rapunzel," Tooth said, looking surprised that Rapunzel was accusing her. "He's such a sweet guy. But he doesn't belong here, and he knows it. That's how we stay friends."

"Some friend you are," Rapunzel said angrily. Tooth finally frowned herself.

"Look, I don't know if your little friendship with him is going to last, and I don't care," she said. "But Jack doesn't belong here. None of them do. Do us all a favor and ditch them now."

Tooth left with those words, downing the drink Rapunzel had refused before mingling with more people.

Seething, Rapunzel was left still looking for her friends that wouldn't show up. She prayed that Hiccup was in either Jack's company or Merida's- but hopefully both. Because the boy was the worst to leave alone without any of them.

She tried to ignore the fact that everyone was avoiding her like she had the plague. Since she had brought Jack, Merida, and Hiccup with her, no one was exactly inviting her to have a drink in the kitchen with them. Not that she cared. Though she had been pretty popular before, it wasn't something she was obsessed with. And she'd rather be an outcast than fit in.

"Blondie," Flynn appeared in front of her, a drink in his hand and giggling girl on his arm. Rapunzel frowned towards the obviously drunk girl, who was leaning against her boyfriend in an extremely intimate position she did not approve of.

"Who is this?" Rapunzel jut her chin out towards the girl and crossed her arms.

"Why do you care?" Flynn asked, hostility creeping into his voice. "Though I don't usually hide things from my girlfriend. But obviously she does."

Rapunzel's eyes widened. "Flynn, please, I-"

"Save your sorry ass apologies," Flynn raised the hand with his drink. "Everyone'e been talking about you tonight. How you brought the jerk I told you I hated. Plus some nerd. And a soccer chick."

"Does that even matter?" Rapunzel was growing angry again. "Tell me what that has to do with me."

"Tomorrow, we'll all try and forget it," Flynn said slowly. "You'll be yourself again, okay? But I just don't know how much longer I can keep this up, Rapunzel. Being known as your boyfriend right now, while people are saying things- I don't know if I can."

Rapunzel paused, letting her arms fall back to her sides. "Are you...breaking up with me?"

"Think of it as a break," Flynn said. "I'll take you back when you decide who your real friends are." He left with the giggling girl, leaving Rapunzel dumbstruck and with tears starting to form.

No. She wasn't going to cry over him. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he could break her.

Instead, she needed someone to talk to. Her friends. Her actual friends, not those cheerleaders. But looking for Merida, Hiccup or Jack was proving an impossible feat.

She decided to take a bathroom break. She hadn't gone in a while, and with good reason. If someone wasn't puking in there, a couple was making out in there.

She knocked on the door, and when no one replied, pushed it open. She almost shut it again because someone was retching into the toilet bowl, but took a closer look.

"Merida?" Rapunzel stepped in. Merida leaned back from the toilet, giving Rapunzel a forced smile.

"Hey," she managed. "Ah got a bit sick-"

"You should've said something!" Rapunzel leaned over to push Merida's hair back. "The pact-"

"If ah could find ye all, I would," Merida sighed. "Can we leave? Ah want tae get out o' here."

"Yeah- but I lost Jack and Hiccup," Rapunzel said, biting her lip. Merida groaned, and gently pulled her hair out of Rapunzel's fingers.

"Ah feel like shit. Please," Merida pleaded, "Let's go before ah do somethin' else that's stupid."

"Okay," It was Rapunzel's turn to sigh. "Okay. But we've got to find the guys."

Merida nodded, picking herself up off of the floor and following Rapunzel out of the bathroom, the blond girl's initial motives gone.

Asking around, no one seemed to know where Jack or Hiccup were. Most people wouldn't even give them a serious answer. Anyone that encountered them answered stiffly, without making eye contact whatsoever.

However, they had a breakthrough with one kind girl. With pale bleached hair that reminded them of Jack's, blue eyes, and a pale blue off the shoulder top, she could've been a female version of him.

"I saw him with my sister Anna a few minutes ago," the girl offered helpfully, actually giving them a smile. "I think they're with some other people in Once-ler's room."

"Thank you," Rapunzel said gratefully, grabbing Merida's hand and yanking her towards the room upstairs.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Jack was bored out of his mind. The "group" he was with consisted of Tooth, Aster, that cheerleader Tooth wanted to set him up with, and a few other people he didn't know and didn't know him.

They had had the brilliant idea to play truth or dare, and Jack was stuck with them.

"Anna, truth or dare?" Tooth asked her. The girl Tooth wanted him to date was pretty, no doubt. She had blue eyes that accented her cute auburn braids perfectly, as well as an edgy streak of white in her locks and freckles that dotted her otherwise flawless skin. She was no Rapunzel, but she was fine as girls went. That didn't mean that Jack was interested in her whatsoever, though.

"Dare," Anna said cheerfully, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

"I dare you-" Tooth glanced around herself for a few seconds, chatted to a few people around her, and laid her violet eyes on Jack. Her lips curled themselves into a wicked smile. "I dare you to kiss Jack."

A few people made some catcalls, some whistled and clapped. But Jack felt like vomiting. No, it wasn't Anna. He'd already established that she was pretty. And not repulsive. But she was- Anna. That's all he could think of.

He didn't even realize she was inching closer. Her eyes were closed. He could hear her breathe, and see every one of her freckles. No. He didn't want to see her freckles. He'd much rather see Rapunzel's. Heck, even Merida's would have been welcoming. Wait. Why was he having an internal conflict over freckles?

Her lips were soft. She wasn't terrible at kissing. And she didn't step over any boundaries. She didn't touch him in any other sort of way, and she didn't try and force him to kiss back. Which he wasn't doing. He didn't want to kiss her. He'd been smart enough to keep his mouth shut during the entire game, and this was how he was rewarded.

"Jack!" a breathless call cut him out of his haze. Jack pulled away from Anna quickly, and faced Rapunzel and Merida. Rapunzel had called out to him. Her eyes flickered from Jack, then to Anna, then to Jack again. This was all too familiar. It was lunch all over again, when Rapunzel was sizing up Tooth.

"Rapunzel," he said gratefully, guiltily, as if he were caught doing something horrible. "Umm-"

"Do you girls want to play?" Tooth asked, never taking her eyes off of Rapunzel.

"Actually, we were just leaving, Ana, I'm so sorry," Rapunzel said, not sounding sorry at all. "Jack?"

"Yeah- yeah, let's go," Jack stood up from his spot on the floor, careful not to look at Anna, or at Tooth, or even at Aster. It would only make them think he had enjoyed himself whilst here.

The three friends left the room, with whispering commencing behind them, but they all didn't care anymore.

"Do you know where Hiccup is?" Rapunzel asked flatly. Something was wrong with her after Tooth had spoken to her. She avoided Jack's eyes and instead gazed over his shoulder.

"Last time I saw him with these two twins," Jack said. "They lead him away before I could say anything."

"These twins, were they boys?" Something was clicking in Rapunzel's head. She was frowning.

"Yeah, redheads. One of 'em had a busted eye-"

"Flynn's friends," Rapunzel balled her hands into fists. "Where did you see him last?"

"The dining room."

They were running towards there. Pushing anyone that got in their way, and not stopping until they found the area they had last seen Hiccup. Dark and empty, there were no signs of movement. Merida turned to walk away, but Jack grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Hiccup?" Rapunzel called softly. Jack flipped the light switch on.

No answer met them. But Merida stopped when she noticed something under the dining room table.

"Hiccup!" she gasped out. Jack pushed a few chairs out of his way, and yanked Hiccup out from under there. He didn't look too bad. A busted lip that was caked in dried blood and his shirt was torn, but he wasn't dead like Rapunzel seemed to think he was by the way she hugged him, screaming bloody murder.

"Rapunzel!" Jack pulled her back. "He's fine!" Hiccup seemed to be coming to, dazed as he sat up.

"What-?" he took in the blurred image of the three.

"Are you okay to drive?" Jack asked his friend, helping him up. "We're leaving."

"Leaving?" Hiccup seemed to brighten up at that, pulling away from Jack's help. "Yeah, I should be good to drive-"

"Ye idiot!" Merida spat out before he could keep taling. "What were ye thinkin'? Ye should've got some help from us- we could've helped ye-"

"Merida, it's okay, I'm alright," Hiccup tried to console her. "Honestly, I just fell asleep after they punched me out-"

Merida shook her head angrily, ready to spew out more words, but Rapunzel grabbed her by the elbow and steered her towards the door.

"We're leaving. Let's go before we have to spend another minute in this place," Rapunzel said. Hiccup and Jack followed them out into the cold air, the freshness a relief to the smells that inhabited the house.

They had decided, even though it was after midnight, to go someplace where they'd actually have fun.

Hiccup drove them to a fast food restaurant, going through the drive thru for some greasy, processed food that they really needed.

Jack wanted a traditional cheeseburger, fries, and a shake. Hiccup ordered himself a chicken sandwich, with soda and fries. Rapunzel wanted to be childish and got chicken nuggets, complete with a kid's toy and the combo of apples and fries. Merida, still slightly drunk, ordered herself a large ice cream sundae and would not listen to the others when they asked her to get some real food.

They parked someplace and turned on the stereo, listening as some woman sang about the joys of moving on to someone better than her current lover.

Hiccup somehow managed to squirt his ketchup all over his pants, and he cleaned that off hastily, but not before Jack quipped about him peeing. Jack and Merida got into yet another squabble that resulted in Rapunzel sitting between them, offering them some of her nuggets like the peacemaker she was.

If this was friendship, Rapunzel thought she'd never had better friends.

"You seem sad, Rapunzel," Hiccup popped a fry in his mouth, chewing and swallowing before speaking again. "Why?"

Rapunzel sighed, taking one of her apple pieces and picking at it with her nail.

"Flynn broke up with me," she admitted. Jack tried to resist the joyful noise that sounded from his throat, but it came out anyway. Merida just snorted and dug her spoon into her chocolatey, syrupy mess that was ice cream. Jack reached for a spoonful and she swatted his hand away.

"I'm sorry," Hiccup said genuinely. "Do you want to talk about it?" Rapunzel shook her head.

"No. I mean, I think I fell in love with him," she said quietly. "But he was always so rude, and when I brought you guys to this party-" She sighed. "He broke up with me."

"Ye know what ah say tae that?" Merida scoffed. She stuck her middle finger out, waving it playfully, and Rapunzel smiled and shoved it back down.

"You're better off without him, Punz," Jack assured her, reaching for her hand. Rapunzel smiled again, letting him take her fingers in his.

"Too close, Frosty," Merida pulled Rapunzel's hand from his. "She just got over her jerk, she doesn't need another one."

"Offensive, Princess," Jack covered up the real sting with a quick retort, hoping no one would notice how crestfallen he actually was.

"We're here for you, Rapunzel," Hiccup said solemnly. "If you ever do want to talk."

"Thanks," Rapunzel managed another smile towards her friend.

"Does anyone have some fries left over?" Merida tossed her empty container into her cup holder. Hiccup dutifully gave her some of his fries, because he was nice that way, while Jack complained about Merida being a selfish bitch and not sharing her ice cream so he had no reason to share his fries.

"Should we just drive everyone to their houses, or what?" Hiccup asked while Merida polished off the remainder of his fries.

"Can you actually leave me at Mavis's place?" Rapunzel asked. "I'm sure she won't mind. My mother thinks I'm sleeping over there for cheer practice."

"And this is my car, so you just drive Frosty the Snowman home and then I'll drive," Merida piped up, tossing her trash into the paper bag their food came with.

"Are you guys finished?" Hiccup looked towards Rapunzel and Jack, who were also tossing their discards away.

"Yeah," Jack said distractedly, taking Rapunzel's bag from her and shoving it in with the rest of their trash. Rapunzel nodded, happily messing with the princess figurine her meal had come with.

Hiccup chuckled, pulling out of the parking lot.

So the night has started out pretty bad, but all was well and ended well. Besides, they had all started out together. And they finished the night together.