A new update for the few people who are interested in my story. Thanks :)
"What the hell are you wearing, Shapiro?" Danny stood at the open door and looked surprised at his new friend. Robbie instantly felt uncomfortable. It was Saturday evening and he was standing in front of Danny's impressive house and was already nervous enough before his first party.
The judgemental stare of his friend didn't really help. "I … uhm … a dress shirt?" "Dude, that thing looks like a blouse. Come on in" Robbie followed Danny into the huge foyer and then they went to the basement which was practically a gigantic party hall with a bar, a pool table and a huge flat screen and surround system.
Beck and Moose were sitting on a couch, a beer in one hand and cigarettes in the other. Beck first looked up and saw Danny coming in with Robbie. "Hey Glasses, nice shirt. Did you borrow it from your mom?" The boys laughed and Robbie felt really embarrassed and kept standing in the doorway awkwardly. Beck tried to regain his composure. "Hey, I'm sorry okay. Come on, I'm sure Danny is willing to borrow you a shirt which doesn't look like it came out of a girl's closet"
They laughed again and then Danny led him upstairs. He even had a huge walk-in-closet in his room. Yeah, he got it, Danny's family was rich. The boy in question looked around in his closet, than looked at Robbie and then at his clothes and repeated the process about four times.
'Is it normal that a guy has such an amount of clothes?' Robbie thought to himself. All of a sudden Danny walked to one side of the closet and took a white wife beater and a black and blue plaid shirt. He gave both to Robbie. "Thank god you have black jeans on" He looked down at his feet. "What's your shoe size?" Robbie told him and Danny walked a door in the closet which revealed another room full of shoes. Okay, this house was just ridiculous. Danny came out with a pair of navy blue Calvin Klein high tops. "Nice. But I can't just wear your clothes, which are probably quite expensive so …" Danny shook his head. "Robbie, Robbie, Robbie … You want to have fun at the party, right?" Robbie nodded. „Yeah, that will be much easier if you don't look like a nerd. No offense Robbie, your … style … is okay but it's a little stereotypical. I know, it's shallow as fuck but you live in L.A. now, this city lives from superficiality. So shut up, put on those clothes and join us downstairs" Danny patted him on the back and left the closet. Robbie stared at his retreating figure and then at the pile of clothes he got. Danny was right. He knew his shirt wasn't the right choice when he left home but his mom was so happy when he put it on that he did her the favour.
A few minutes later Robbie came back to the basement and sat down next to the boys. Danny offered him a beer which he gladly took. They started talking with some great song in the background (the guys really had an excellent taste in music) and time went on rather fast.
After a while Moose checked his watch. "We should probably go. The good booze will be gone if we arrive too late" The others agreed and they left the house. Turns out that Danny lived in the same neighbourhood as Cat Valentine did so they just walked to the party. Robbie could already hear the music from a few streets away.
Then he saw the impressive Valentine house (truth be told, every other house they passed was not any less impressive). There were loads of cars parked on the street, people in the front yard talking, drinking and even dancing. They entered the house, which was crowded with people everywhere. There was even a real DJ (quite a famous one if he wasn't wrong) and a light show. The people from Hollywood Arts sure knew how to throw a great party.
Robbie followed the boys to the kitchen where a cocktail bar was set up. They got some drinks and walked to the living room (which was more like a living hall) and stood at the side, watching people dance, flirt and have fun.
After a while Moose went dancing with a girl Robbie recognized from his geometry class and Danny went to the bar with the blonde with whom Robbie saw him talking on Thursday. "I don't want to detain you from hitting on girls. Go ahead, I'll just … uhm … get another drink" Beck laughed. "Don't worry, if I wanted to hit on a girl you wouldn't be an obstacle. But let's get another drink"
They went back to the kitchen where among other people Ryder Daniels and Jade West were getting something to drink. Robbie gulped. Now he had to face this idiot again. But he was glad that Beck and Jade were there. Beck had also seen the couple but was far more interested in the short dress that was showing off Jade's long legs.
As they were getting their drinks he saw Ryder approaching while Jade was distracted by talking to a short girl with blonde locks. "Well, well, well, look who has decided to join the party. What makes you think that you have the right to be here?" Ryder came dangerously close to Robbie's face. He heard Beck snorting. Ryder heard it as well and turned to face him. "If I remember correctly this party is for all seniors. What makes you think that he has no right to be here?" Beck asked and looked at Ryder provocatively. Ryder narrowed his eyes. "Oliver, that's your name right? Mind your own business" He stepped closer to Beck who didn't blink an eye. They were about the same height so it was a balanced staring contest. Some people in the kitchen had already started to look at the scene unfolding.
"Well, I don't think that the fact who's attending a party which is not held at your house is your business. So why don't you leave my friend here alone and go back playing boyfriend to your pretty girl? You know, before someone else catches her attention" Beck smirked at Ryder's angry face and before he could answer, Jade approached the group. "Ryder, what did I say about the party? No fights in Cat's house. Can't you at least try to control your unnerving, overactive testosterone production and help Chad and Nate carry up some alcohol from the basement?"
Ryder tried to protest but when he saw the stern look on Jade's face he sighed loudly and left the kitchen but not without sending Robbie and Beck a deathly glare. Robbie was once again fascinated by Jade's confidence and her power over Ryder. The raven haired girl was still standing in front of them and looked at them suspiciously.
Robbie decided it was time to speak up. "Thanks for saving my ass … again" She looked at him for a few seconds and Robbie thought she would just ignore him and go away. "Yeah, whatever. I guess Ryder PMS-ing a little early and you're his newest punching ball. You should better stay away from him while he has his sensible phase of the month" Robbie was dumbfounded but Beck next to him started laughing. Jade looked surprised at him and he regained his composure almost immediately. "Nice one. I'm Beck Oliver, by the way". "Great for you, Beck Oliver. I've gotta go. Oh, and Robert: don't forget my notes next week!" With that she walked away leaving Robbie surprised that she remembered his name and Beck aggrieved by the direct and blatant rejection.
"Okay, great. So Jade knows your name and likes to help you out. But she doesn't give a single fuck about me. Just awesome!" Beck groaned, drowned his drink and instantly got another one. "I'm gonna go outside. See you later" So Robbie was left in the kitchen without anyone he knew. He also took another drink (whiskey with coke really started to grow on him) and went back to the living room. He saw Danny making out with his new flirt and Moose going to the bar with his flirt of the night.
Robbie looked around and spotted Tori Vega sitting on one of the couches, surrounded by two guys who were obviously flirting with her. He sighed. The only people he knew at the party were either too popular to be bothered by him or busy making out with girls. He should probably try to find someone nice to talk.
He checked his surroundings and his eyes stopped when he spotted a pretty brunette girl who looked quite bored. Robbie collected all his courage and approached her.
"Hey there" The girl looked up and smiled nicely at him. Great, she wasn't disgusted by him. "So … I saw you sitting here and you looked a little bored. I'm Robbie, by the way". "Carly, nice to meet you. Do you go to Hollywood Arts, Robbie?" "Yes, I just moved here from Chicago" "Hey, I just moved here from Seattle. So I guess you don't know many people either?" Robbie laughed. Carly was nice. She was basically him in cute … and female … and not awkward.
They continued their conversation for a little while until Carly's phone rang. She looked at her screen and smiled widely when she saw the caller ID. "That's my boyfriend. Sorry Robbie, I've got to take that call. See you later?" He smiled at her and Carly went to answer her phone. Great, so the first nice girl he finds and has the courage to flirt with has a boyfriend. Robbie sighed and went upstairs to go to the bathroom.
When he left he saw a girl at the end of the hallway. It seemed like she tried to balance a big box and a pile of CDs when she suddenly tripped in her high heels and fell down with all the stuff being spilled at the floor. Robbie instantly walked up to her to help her pick up the stuff.
"Hey. Are you okay?" The girl looked up and Robbie blushed heavily. Jesus Christ, this school was like one big beauty pageant. The girl in front of him had bright red hair which totally suited her. She had big brown doe-eyes and was really, really beautiful. "Oh, I'm fine, I'm just such a klutz sometimes" She giggled. They started picking up the stuff together. "I've never seen you around before! How come?"
"I just moved here from Chicago. I'm Robbie, by the way" "Nice to meet you Robbie. I'm Cat" Robbie raised his eyebrows. So this was the Cat Valentine he had already heard a lot about. Now he understood Danny's crush on her. She really was a sight to behold. When they got up he saw how small she was (despite wearing heels). "Thanks for the help Robbie" Her smile made his knees weak. "No problem. I can carry the stuff down for you if you want" "No thanks, I'll be fine. Go and enjoy the party. I want it to outshine all the other end of summer parties of Hollywood Arts" She winked at him and went downstairs. Robbie stared after her.
After a while he remembered how his legs functioned and went downstairs, trying to find the petite beauty but found a very drunk Beck lounging at a corner and making out with a girl he remembered seeing with Tori instead. He sighed and looked around. Danny and Moose were nowhere to be seen but he found Cat – standing next to Jade and Ryder. Yep, that was a clear sign to stay away from the girl of his dreams.
"Hey Robbie!" He turned around to find a tipsy Tori Vega standing next to him. "Hey Tori. Are you okay?" "I'm great. So I've seen you hanging out with Beck Oliver and his friends. Who's the cute black haired guy with a great taste in clothes?" Robbie couldn't help but crack a smile. He was pretty sure that a sober Tori Vega never would've come up to him to find information about his friend. "That's Danny Lancaster. He should be here somewhere" Tori looked around and turned back to look at him. "Nah, I don't see him. Tell him I said hi" She winked at him and walked away. Still smiling Robbie looked around just in time to see Jade staring at him with narrowed eyes. Then Cat whispered something in her ear. Jade's eyes widened and she looked at Cat and then again at him. All of a sudden she started moving and approached him.
Robbie wondered if she was aware of the longing stares the guys she passed were giving her. But she probably was. He looked back to the spot where Cat and Ryder were standing and Ryder seemed not amused that his girlfriend was approaching his newest victim. "Hey Robert. So my friend Cat seems to think you're nice. Congratulations, this means you're getting an invitation to my Halloween party" "Uhm … thanks?" Jade smirked. "You better be thankful. People at this school would kill to get an invite to my party. You're welcome" and then she returned to her friends, leaving Robbie speechless for the probably 15th time this week.
"Jade West invited you to her Halloween party?" Moose stared at him with wide eyes. Danny and Beck were also quite surprised to hear that. "Yeah I guess so. Maybe she's planning to use me as Jack-O-lantern or something?" The guys laughed at his comment. He didn't really want to tell them that Jade invited him because Cat said that he was nice. Danny might not like that little detail.
"Dude, I've already told you about the party-policy here. And Jade West's parties are the most exclusive ones. Nobody outside her inner circle gets an early invite!" Danny shook his head. Robbie was quite the surprise for him. "Oh I nearly forgot to tell you: while you all were away making out with girls, a drunk Tori Vega approached me and asked for the "cute black haired guy with a great taste in clothes" I hang out with and no, she didn't mean Beck because she knew his name"
Danny looked surprised and the others teased. "Tori Vega, huh?" Moose grinned and nudged his friend.
"Well, that's interesting. She's no Cat Valentine but definitely not bad" Danny said and looked to the table of Tori's clique. "Now let me get that straight" Moose started. "while us three were making out with some chicks you talked to Jade West AND Tori Vega and got an invitation to the next big party? I hate to say this but your evening seems to have been more interesting than ours" Moose laughed and high-fived him.