Welcome, welcome!

This chapter is going to cover most of Rouge's party in a few different points of view. Obviously I will clearly mark when and where character voices will be switching. I wouldn't want to confuse anyone!

Again, I am fully aware that this story is still lacking real drama, but I want to make sure the bases are set before we start running them.

Enjoy!

Chapter 4

Kairy's POV

Blaze's car eventually stopped in front of a huge white house set into the woods. The long driveway and the bordering sidewalks were lined with cars. I did my best to parallel park behind the red sedan and jumped out. Everyone except Tikal, Nicole, Marine and Tails had decided to go for a little bit.

I joined Blaze and we walked up the driveway together. I could hear the bass bumping in the back of the house and the sky was dark so you could tell the party lights were on. I was a little nervous.

I had never really been to a party-party. I had been to several get-togethers, but they were usually on the same wavelength as bowling and ice cream. I also was pretty sure my mom would flip out if she really knew where I was. I just told her I was going out with my new friends, which made her happy, and that I would be back by 11:30.

It was about 9:30 at that point. Blaze and I eventually made it to the back yard where I'm pretty sure the entire junior and senior classes were. I barely recognized faces of people that I had probably passed at some point in the week. I could tell a majority of them were already pretty buzzed.

The back yard was actually really nice. The house was bigger once you got to it, and the yard was at least an acre of grass that included a huge patio and a lighted outdoor pool. Some people were swimming, others were just standing around with all sorts of beer cans in their hands.

Blaze pulled me aside, "I am warning you, not that you need it, that the senior guys in our school are not as tame as others. Just keep your eyes and ears open and alert at all times, okay? I'm gonna go find Silver. Also if you see a mysterious punch bowl, STAY AWAY."

Blaze wandered off and I made my way into the basement via the large glass sliding door connecting the patio to the inside. Even more high schoolers were packed in there. I made my way over to the one thing I was looking for: the snack table. Crackers and deli platters and veggie bowls were plenty. I was surprised at how nice the food looked seeing as I was expecting the party to be completely trashy.

I grabbed a plate and filled it with crackers and pepperoni and sat in the corner on a stool. I observed the scene before me. The basement was large, and from my position I could tell there were two people making out on the couch facing the television on the other end of the room. There was also a small group of people seated in a circle on the floor in another corner passing a blunt. Several others filled the space drinking their alcohol and acting like idiots. Part of me really wanted to get in on the drinking action – I was always interested in what kind of drunk I would be since I had never really experienced drinking before – but I didn't want to give myself a bad image. I also had to drive myself home.

Eventually my constant trips to and from the food table were noticed. A purple chameleon made his way over to where I was sitting.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself." He stated to me. He had a deep voice. He wore a white button down shirt and khaki shorts. He extended his gloved hand to me, "Espio. You must be Kairy."

I nodded, "Yes, nice to meet you." I recognized him from I believe my chemistry class.

"It's nice to meet you too. Just wanted to let you know this party continues throughout the whole house and yard. Don't be here after 12- that is when the cops come." He then disappeared. The whole 'chameleon' thingy caught me off guard.

I had already been warned about the time, but I appreciated his advice. I had to leave at 11 anyway. And the party was not that interesting so I was probably going to head out earlier than planned.

And as if on cue a sudden alarm sounded. Everyone began crowding outside by the pool. I finally saw Rouge standing over by the diving board. She was scantily clad, wearing nothing but spandex shorts and a white crop top. Her ass and boobs were hanging out everywhere. She probably wanted it that way. Everyone was looking in her direction. She took a step onto the board and began to speak.

"Hello all! Welcome to my house – I hope you are all enjoying your time. As I am sure you are all aware, the cops will probably be here around 12 to check on things. Please be either gone or hidden in my house with no traces of alcohol or weed around please. Otherwise, continue to partayyyyy!" She ended with a squeal, shaking a bottle of something in her hand. I cringed. The music started up again, louder than before, and more alcoholic beverages seemed to appear from nowhere.

Soon I noticed Amy standing by herself near the stone wall. I went over to her.
"You okay?" I asked. She looked a little down.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks for asking." She replied shortly.

"Don't lie to me." I persisted. She sighed, "I just wish Sonic would look at me the way he looks at other girls." I could tell she wanted to replace 'other girls' with 'Rouge'.

I placed a hand on her arm, "They might have the bigger chest, but you have a more real personality. Plus you're fun and naturally very pretty. Don't doubt yourself!"

I have no clue where my sudden advice came from, but it made me sound so knowledgeable. I almost wanted to laugh at my words. The last relationship I had was nonexistent. I had never had a real boyfriend. I had hooked up with a few guys at my old school, but those were all meaningless kisses.

"We used to be friends." Amy interrupted my thoughts.

I did a double take, "You and Rouge?"

"Yeah…she used to be really cool. Now she's so fake. I wish she hadn't changed once she grew boobs and tried out for cheerleading. I miss her sass." Amy sounded so upset it made me feel bad.

"When did she stop talking to you then?" I asked, genuinely interested in what this whole thing was about.

"Well it kind of started fading last year. She used to hang out with all of us. I mean things are obviously so different this year. Sonic and Knuckles hangout more with the sporty guys and girls. Blaze, Silver and Marine have gotten a little more exclusive, which I don't understand. Thankfully Cosmo, Cream and I are still close. Tikal and Nicole are sort of drifters. We are friends with them, but they also hangout with Espio, Charmy and Shard more than we do. Rouge used to hang out with me and Cosmo and Cream. She was so fun! And now she just puts on a show for all the 'cool' kids. It's just not her. Well, the partying is her. She's always liked parties, but she never hosted something like this. Being at her house in this context makes me a little uncomfortable."

Amy gave a loud sigh and hung her head. I didn't know some of the names she'd mentioned, I only recognized 'Espio', but I was sure I'd find out the others later. I put a hand on her shoulder. I wished things weren't so sucky for her.

Cosmo then joined us and put a hand on Amy's hand.

"I know this setting is not what you had planned, but let's try to have some fun while we are here, okay?" Cosmo asked.

Amy looked up, "Okay. Let's go see other people. Kairy come with us. I can introduce you to some of the other people we are friendly with!"

I smiled and tagged along.

Silver's POV

I was not a party person. I never felt comfortable in large crowds. Part of it was that I had always been bullied as a kid, so I was really insecure. I was always afraid that everyone's eyes were on me. The only reason I was here was because of Blaze. She was my best friend, so I wanted to hang out with her wherever she desired.

As I stepped out of my car, I saw her walking up the mile-long driveway with Kairy. I followed behind.

Kairy was cool. I liked having her around now. I could tell Blaze liked her too, which made me happy because Blaze did not like a lot of people. She could barely stand Amy half the time. Kairy seemed to be helping Blaze get more in touch with everyone else, though. At the start of this year, Blaze had started only wanting to be with Marine and me because she was 'bored' with everyone else. I think she just felt out of place.

Once I reached the backyard, I saw the party had begun a while ago. Blaze was also making her way towards me, without Kairy.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked. She gave me 'the look', "I just wanted to talk to you."

She knew I wanted her to talk to more people other than myself, but I also found it really nice that she enjoyed my company so much. I enjoyed being with her more than anything else in the world.

"So what did you want to talk about?" I asked.

"I don't know."

"Blaze you really should try to talk with Kairy or Amy or someone else, too. I can come with you."

"Silver you know I don't feel comfortable here. Once Kairy has found someone to be with, I am leaving."

I had been expecting that answer. I didn't blame her – I was certainly more than happy to leave early. I just feared she was closing off bridges. I still talked to Sonic and Knuckles. As much as I cared about her I wanted to maintain more friendships. I was so scared she'd spend her life alone if she didn't follow suit.

Suddenly a group of clearly high guys came rocketing towards me.

"Duuuuude where did you get your hair done?"

"Yeah man, where's your stash?"

"Bruuuuh."

I cringed and jumped back. I knew this would happen.

"Back. Off." Blaze threatened. Her eyes glowed with fire. The stoners backed away and ran off in fear.

That is why I had always appreciated Blaze.

We had grown up together far away from here, and we both had developed odd powers as children. I had telekinesis, and she was able to control fire, hence why she was called 'Blaze'. We were able to control our abilities very well, so few knew we had them. When we were younger, we just met up one day, discovered we had abnormal abilities, and became friends. The rest, as some would say, is history.

I thanked her for fending off the stoners. I had always been so self-conscious about my stupid quills. Having hair shaped like a marijuana leaf was not my idea of a cool thing, but I didn't want to cut it because I was used to the way it looked, if that made any sense.

She shrugged it off and scanned the party. I could tell she really wanted to leave.

"Want to go?" I finally offered.

"Yes." She said. I had also had enough, even though I had really just arrived.

Rouge's POV

I raised my bottle of Smirnoff as everyone went back to partying. I had to admit, the spotlight felt pretty damn good. I was so excited to see that everyone was having a good time – my ego certainly was.

I wasn't too keen in having the stoners doing their thing in my basement, but that was something I figured I could clean up pretty easily. The alcohol was easier to maintain. I was just hoping my parents would not find a trace of any of this when they came home the following weekend.

Yet, even with all of the positive vibes from everyone at the party, I still didn't feel 100% good. Not because of worries that my parents or the cops would catch me, because I knew how to deal with all of that based on previous parties at others' houses, but rather I knew deep down that this 'party host' thing I was doing, wasn't me at all. I remembered when I was friendly with Amy Rose and them, and those were fun times. Granted, I had always been one for the parties, but never to this extent and NEVER at my own place. But ever since I had joined the cheer squad and the popular older girls had taken to me, I just couldn't stop myself. My popularity skyrocketed and it did feel pretty cool. I wasn't a bitch, though. I still said hi to my old friends on occasion, but things definitely weren't the same. I really missed bowling, arcades and ice cream. But in order to get a little, you have to give a little. I just wasn't sure if I made the right sacrifice.

Just as I had planned, the cops came at 12. By then the stoners had left, thankfully, and only a few of my cheer squad friends were left and some of the sporty guys. We had put all of the alcohol away and everything had been cleaned up as part of a team effort. Thankfully none of us were drunk enough to give away anything either. Most of them hid in the bushes behind my house while myself and a few friends went inside and pretended to be immersed in the T.V. Luckily, the cops bought it. Once they left, the guys came back into the house with us. I was surprised that Knuckles was still there. He was a part of the old group, and although he was on the football team, he never really acted as if he was on the team and he looked so awkward with the rest of them. But I didn't question it.

"So I think we should play something." Fiona stated. She was on the cheer squad with me, and she was probably my least favorite. She was a curvy fox who talked more about her sex life than anyone else I knew.

"I'm down." Someone replied. Everyone went along with it.

"I say we play 'Never Have I Ever'. Everyone know how it goes?" She asked. I cringed and my stomach knotted. I was afraid this would happen. And I knew I'd have to lie in order to not be given weird looks.

Everyone nodded and we began. We all held up ten fingers and began putting them down as people took turns saying what they hadn't done. It started simple with things like 'never have I ever cheated on a test' and 'never have I ever stolen something', but they started getting worse.

"Never have I ever gotten black out drunk". Knuckles said on his turn. I had to put a finger down for that one. At a party at the end of last year, I had way too much to drink and ended up puking my brains out and I eventually passed out. It was extremely scary, but by some miracle I woke up with nothing but a huge hangover and a stomach ache the next morning.

"Never have I ever done it with a teacher." I said confidently. Of course nobody put a finger down for that, so I looked a little dumb but it still was better than nothing.

"Never have I ever had sex." One of the football players eventually said. His buddies gave him a look, but he then began to brag about how often he gets blowjobs, so they shut up. I began to sweat as I put a finger down discreetly. I was afraid someone would say that.

"Rouge, oh my gosh, I didn't know that you weren't a virgin anymore!" Fiona said ecstatically. I gave a nervous smile, "Yeah haha."

She gave me a suspicious look, "Who was it with?"

"I never kiss and tell. Or in this case, screw and tell." I replied with sass to cover up my anxiety.

Truth was, I was a virgin. I had done a pretty bad job at giving that impression though, because my Portal page was full of pictures of me with guys in bedrooms, but most of those were truthfully completely innocent. Usually I stopped the action before things went too far.

Whispers began floating through the circle. I held back all negative thoughts as best as I could.

This was going to be a tough one to keep hidden.

Knuckle's POV

I hated this game. I hated all of the football players. I hated everyone. I hated myself.

I thought for sure Rouge was a virgin. I couldn't believe it when I saw her delicate finger slowly meet her palm. There was no way. I was going to find the douche and beat him to a pulp.

I wasn't sure why I cared so much, though. She and I had grown apart. There had never been anything in between us. She thought I was a stupid meathead, and I found her to be a sneaky whore. She probably lost it a long time ago.

But that still didn't settle my racing thoughts. What was wrong with me?

The game ended soon after and I eventually decided it was time to leave. I grabbed my keys and headed outside without saying goodbye.

Kairy's POV

I barely remembered any of the names of the people Amy and Cosmo had introduced me to by the time I got home. I noticed that Blaze had left early, though.

I sent her a text, 'When did you leave?'

She replied, 'Got bored. About to sleep ttyl.'

I'd have to ask her on Monday.

I sighed as I slipped into my pajamas and crawled under my covers. It had been a long week and certainly a long evening. I hadn't been planning on the party, and as much as I was a tad uncomfortable being around so many unfamiliar faces, I did have a decent time.

I was looking forward to my next week. Life in the new town wasn't so bad after all.

Hey everyone!

Again, I know the party didn't contain a SUPER load of drama, but I can't make anything too crazy just yet. You'll have to bear with me.

But I hope you enjoyed it either way! I am going to be gone for a few days, so it might be a while before I update, but I tried to make this chapter a decent length.

Hope you all are having a nice end to the summer, and please don't forget to leave reviews!

~K