The Adamson party was visible from the bridge we had to pass before the exit to get there. There were searchlights, headlights, multiple bonfires, a laser display—everything that could call one's attention—and right at the center of the grassy bank was a dome-shaped bandstand for the night's featured entertainment.

Three guesses who that was.

"Oh you've got to be kidding." Alex huffed. There were identical awestruck looks on our faces when we looked at each other in the backseat of Erin's lime green Ford Fiesta. The cutesy car might seem like a funny choice for its owner, judging by the way she looked now, but it had reflected her personality perfectly once upon a time. The goth thing was a fairly recent decision.

"Well, mystery solved. The stakeout's off, I gather?" Beth asked. Nothing ever fazed this girl.

"They are so stupid," Alex muttered, for like, the thousandth time that night. "Why keep something like this from us?"

"Maybe they don't want any more crappy videos of them circulating," Beth suggested. I coughed to cover up a laugh.

"Great publicity stunt, though," Erin remarked as she eased into the first empty spot we found amidst the sea of fancy cars parked on the side of the road. "Best that money can buy."

Adamson High was a neighboring high school, but it might as well be on another planet. You know those super-spoiled, superglam kids on social media who got sailboats as birthday presents, and flew to Europe on their private planes for their school dance after-parties, and also probably got together in their vast backyards to play polo on unicorns? Well, those kids were your typical Adamson High students.

People might think a few varying numbers in zip codes between our areas wouldn't make that much of a difference, but they'd be wrong. At Riverside North High, there was a nice mix of people from all walks of life, whereas at Adamson High, everyone who went there were either kids of CEO's of multinational corporations, entertainment moguls, pro-athletes, or even royalty from oil-rich countries–the kind of people my mom identified with but in actuality only got to be around on occasion because my dad worked for them, not because we occupied the same social stratosphere.

Erin was right: Off-Kilter couldn't ask for a better crowd to create buzz for them than these people. Adamson kids were trendsetters, tastemakers and online influencers. Just a mention from a few of them on social media and over a million new people would know who they were overnight. Whoever made this happen for Off-Kilter really knew what he was doing.

The party was in full swing and showed no sign of winding down. A lot of the kids we passed were already getting sick on the side of the road.

All the money in the world couldn't make that look attractive.

"I told you to leave that," Alex said, noticing the hoodie I'd brought along, against her instructions. Until that moment, I'd been successful in keeping it out of her sight. "It ruins your whole look."

I caught Erin's reflection in the rear-view mirror. She quirked her mouth in a sympathetic-looking smile, calling my attention to the silver hoop on her lower lip.

"Tell me Alex, why do you feel the need to like, curate every piece of clothing I put on at these parties but Erin can look like that?"

"Oh thanks a lot, Adrian, I was on your side!" Erin said, frowning.

"Sorry! But it's just a little unfair to me . . ."

"Beth and Erin can wear whatever they want because they're gonna grow old living in the same house with, like, a million cat-babies or something," Alex explained. "Somehow I don't think that's for you."

"I don't know. That sounds kind of awesome. I'm a cat-person, remember?" I noticed Alex giving me an all-too familiar look—the one meant to tell me I had missed some sort of point completely. "Oh."

Erin threw up her hands and shook her head at Alex and me. Afterwards, she and Beth exchanged smiles.

Next to Alex, Beth and Erin were my dearest friends. In some ways, they were easier to be around than Alex, but I didn't spend as much time with them on my own even if I wanted to because it always felt like I'd be intruding on their private time. The relationship was an open secret among my friends. Since they didn't talk about it much, no one else did. Except for Alex.

"Fine," I said, tossing my hoodie at Alex, who handed it to Beth. She rolled it up, placed it under her seat, and we all got out to join the party.

Alex grabbed me by the arm and we walked ahead of our two friends toward a couple of tables with refreshments. She sweet-talked a bunch of guys who were manning the kegs and got a huge red cup for each of us, minus Erin, who was our designated driver.

The long car ride had made me thirsty so I took a long swig and downed my drink in seconds. Alex looked impressed.

"Good idea. This is all a lot to take in sober." She did the same, then handed our cups back to the guys , who topped us off. "Pace yourself this time, and never take your eyes off your cup, okay?"

"Ugh. I'm not stupid, Alex," I retorted, rolling my eyes. "Don't get in any backseats except Erin's."

She gave me a playful shove. "I'm gonna let that go because I know it's just the beer talking."

The snacks looked good, but the way they were laid out in the open just for anyone to paw at unfortunately killed my appetite. We left the tables and moved towards the stage. The song Off-Kilter was playing was unfamiliar but seemed like a crowd-pleaser judging by the overall vibe of the party.

"Hey they've gotten better!" Beth observed.

I had to agree. They always gave their all when they played but this time it was different. They weren't some amateur high school band anymore.

I was so proud of them. They were performing as themselves and proving that they didn't need to ride on the coattails of anyone.

Just like Seth wanted.

He sounded great, too. His voice was clear and rich and wasn't drowned out by the other noises, and the way he moved?

Oh yeah, I wanted him bad.

"Would it be weird if I threw something at the stage?" I asked.

The three of them shrieked, and then, moving as one, quickly grabbed my arms, which I had crossed over each other so I could lift my top over my head.

"Okay, you're definitely drunk now!" Alex, laughing, tugged the hem of my top out of my hands, making me stumble a bit toward her. "Keep your clothes on, you animal. I'm gonna want them back."

The four if us were hysterical for the longest time after that. Once we'd calmed down, I concentrated on the show and didn't notice right away that another person had joined us.

"Having fun?" this new person leaned in to whisper. It was Matt.

"Oh hey, Matt," I greeted, a little annoyed that I was pulled out of my trance, but I remembered my decision to be friendly. "Thanks for telling me about the party."

He gave a sheepish smile. "It's nothing. I feel kinda dumb about that now, considering the main attraction-"

"We were surprised, too," I admitted, cutting him off because I didn't want to get into all of that again.

"Sounds fake but okay," he said, laughing. "Well, the important thing is you're here now."

I smiled and nodded, having nothing else to say. The show ended after a couple more songs, and the guys addressed the crowd. They thanked the audience for being awesome and invited everyone to future shows they had lined up. And then, they leapt off the stage, surprising everyone and setting off another round of applause.

Seth, as usual, had been the one to start it, diving headfirst into an eager sea of admirers. Ethan followed in the same manner after some hesitation, while Tristan stepped off in a more cautious way: stepping off the edge of the stage, landing on his feet.

"Wanna go sit somewhere?" Matt asked me.

What I wanted was to get Seth alone, so I could tell him how I felt, just like I planned. But of course I wasn't gonna say that. Besides, there didn't seem to be a chance of that happening. The crowd that gathered near the stage area was getting bigger each second, and most of them had their phones and cameras out. The guys were gonna be swamped for a while.

I turned to my friends for a way out, but Alex had other ideas. "You guys go ahead, I think I see a high-stakes poker game near the beer-pong area," she said. "Maybe someone will win big and give me a private jet on a whim. Come on, Beth, Erin."

"Maybe I want a private jet," I told her, sending her an S.O.S. signal with my eyes.

"We don't want to be greedy. One for all of us will do." Alex grinned, and then herded Beth and Erin away, leaving me no choice but to respond to Matt.

"Sure, Matt, where?"

"Let's move closer to the water, get some air," he suggested.

I nodded, actually liking the idea. In spite of Alex's betrayal, I was still feeling pretty good from the whole evening and could handle a couple of minutes without being a dick to Matt.

"Wait here, I'll get us something to drink." He hurried off, giving me no chance to refuse, and was back with two cups in no time.

"I think I reached my limit." I flashed Matt an apologetic look. "And, I haven't really had that much to eat . . ."

"Oh." Matt's face fell, but then he brightened, reached into the pocket of his varsity jacket and pulled out an energy bar. "Here, I knew there was a reason I always kept these things around."

"White chocolate with walnuts." I smiled my approval and gladly accepted what he offered.

He beamed. "Yeah, it's my favorite kind."

As we walked, I unwrapped the bar, ate the thing in two bites, tops, and then washed it down with my beer.

"So you wanna sit down?"

We looked at the ground. It looked pretty damp. Matt took off his varsity jacket and set it down for me to sit on. I made sure not to take up too much of it, so he could sit comfortably, too, without getting too close.

"Such a gentleman," I said, affecting a girlish tone.

"M'lady," he smirked and bowed, then made a face, which made me warm up to him even more. At least he knew what a cheesy move that was. He took a seat next to me. "No, I know you have that thing about dirt . . . "

"Thing? I don't have a . . . That's not what . . ." I wasn't sure how to proceed. I considered setting him straight but decided against it. Even I had a hard time understanding my whole deal myself. "Thank you. That's really thoughtful."

We sat and looked at the water, nursing our drinks. The city lights across the river made for a fantastic view, and the cool air smelled sweet and refreshing.

The moment was so perfect, it almost didn't matter who I was sharing it with.

Almost.

Matt was staring, making me uncomfortable again. Our hands were resting between us and all of a sudden his was covering mine. I did my best not to pull away, just counted to three before I very slowly removed my hand away from his, under the guise of scratching my arm.

"Damn bugs." I stood, a
a little abruptly, and started to feel woozy. "Let's head back."

Matt also stood, dusted off his jacket and very carefully draped it, along with the dirt and mud now on it, around my shoulders. Alex's comment about this very thing flashed in my mind but something told me there was more to being a hero than this.

It wasn't that I didn't appreciate what Matt was trying to do but at this point I'd been feeling overly warm from all the drinks and maybe that energy bar and I couldn't help but compare it to earlier that day, when Seth gave me back my hoodie and it wasn't just an empty gesture, but served an actual purpose.

That was when I remembered the reason I was here.

Some sort of commotion greeted us when we reached the crowded part of the bank. A fight had broken out among a group of guys, it seemed. A closer look revealed Seth, Ethan and Tristan, at the very center of this scuffle.

Ethan was actively trying to hold back a guy who looked like he was out for blood. Seth's blood, presumably, since he was standing behind and was the one Ethan was trying to keep the other guy from. He had a hand on the corner of his lower lip, and the way he stood informed me that he was hurt.

I walked as fast as I could, which wasn't very because of the horrible feeling I suddenly got in the pit of my stomach.

"Adrian, don't. It's dangerous," Matt warned but I barely heard him and was already staggering blindly toward the crowd.

Tristan stood a few feet from them and was the first to acknowledge my presence. "Oh shit, you're here," he muttered when he saw me. He looked oddly calm in light of the situation. "I guess that means-"

He didn't even get to finish his sentence. As if on cue, Alex, Beth and Erin appeared out of a clearing, watching the spectacle with horrified interest.

"And there they are."

I glared at him. "Don't just stand there, Tristan. Do something for once."

"No way, Adrian. I'm a rare blood type."

"You're useless!" I walked right up to the guys, pointed at Seth. "Somebody better explain this right now."

"Who the hell are you?" the Adamson guy glowered at me. He was taller than my friends, and looked more menacing. Seemed older, too. It was hard to tell with these rich boys. They always dressed like they were in their forties or something. "Mind your own business."

"You don't look so tough." I stood my ground and deliberately eyed him up and down. "I bet I could take you."

"Jeez, Adrian, how much did you have to drink?" Ethan asked, looking at me askance.

The Adamson guy's jaw dropped. I looked about twelve on regular days. Dolled up like this, maybe I could pass for my age, but still on the smallish side. He probably thought this was a prank, but whatever. I refused to back down and held his gaze.

He blinked. "I caught him making out with my girlfriend," he whined.

I inhaled sharply and turned to where Seth was. He had a girl next to him, clinging to his arm. How the fuck did I miss that?

I ignored the tightening in my chest and shrugged. "Doesn't look like she's your girlfriend anymore."

"Oh I am," the human feather boa Seth was wearing butted in.

"Then how about you explain a few things to your boyfriend?" I snapped.

"Nothing to explain yet. Maybe tomorrow morning," she said, playing with her hair in a way that made me want to punch someone, too. I just hadn't decided if it was her or Seth who deserved it more.

I really should've seen this coming. Of course there would be a girl. There always was. And of course she'd be tall, thin, and fancy-looking. Granted, she looked wasted and like a total bitch, but in the European cover girl kind of way.

This really shouldn't surprise me. Girls hung around and made themselves available to Seth all the time, even before he was famous. What more after tonight?

Give it up, I told myself. There was no point in having that talk with Seth after all. Maybe I could be something that he wanted for a moment. So what? Sooner or later he was going to realize that he could easily be with someone better: prettier, like Chloe; or smarter, like either girl from the A-Team; or like this girl, who no doubt could do a lot more than hold hands without having an internal crisis. What then?

On the bright side, tonight wasn't a total loss. One day, when I stopped feeling like shit, I'd be able to laugh when I looked back on what happened next, which was me, spewing my guts, right on Seth's posh new friend's shoes.