The entire ride was silent. Neither of the brunettes had spoken a single word, not even to each other. Even Ellie seemed a bit subdued, staring quietly out the window, her expression unreadable.

Preston and Rob were lost in their own little world, chatting away while the others remained silent. They were completely oblivious to the tension which darkened the atmosphere.

Mitch let out a shaky breath as the taxi pulled to a stop. They all climbed out of the car, giving a quick farewell to the driver and tipping him well. Then, it was just them.

"Well? What are we waiting for? Let's go introduce her." Preston urged. He took Ellie's hand, who seemed rooted to the ground.

Rob placed a hand on his shoulder, as if warning the teen to tone it down a notch. He was watching Mitch and Jerome carefully, eyes narrowing as he observed their strange behavior. "Is everything okay?"

Jerome blinked a few times, as if being startled from sleep. "Hm? Oh, yes. It's fine. Sorry. We were just thinking." With a quick shake of his head, he grabbed Mitch's hand, giving it a light squeeze. This broke Mitch out of his own trance, and the male looked around for a moment, seeming dazed.

"Then let's go." Rob carefully pried Ellie out of Preston's grip, noting her discomfort. Instead, he held the Texan's hand, letting the brunette drag him down the driveway and towards the house.

Sighing, Mitch followed after them, grabbing onto Ellie's arm as he passed her, and forcing her to stumble along as well.

"Quick warning," He mumbled, glancing down at the nervous blonde. "They are nothing like the people you think they are. Don't try too hard to impress them."

"They'll naturally like you." Jerome added quickly after seeing Ellie's expression switch to one of terror. "Just be yourself. They'll adore you, I promise."

Ellie didn't answer. She merely swallowed, lowering her gaze as they neared the door.

Preston and Rob had already disappeared inside, leaving the door wide open. The faintest voices drifted out, soft murmurs and hushed whispers. The air was practically buzzing with anticipation.

Mitch let go of Eleanor's arm, walking into the house first. His strides were long and quick, and it quickly became obvious he wasn't going to wait for them. He was gone from sight soon enough, and then, it was just her and Jerome.

"Come on, Ellie." Jerome said softly. He held out his hand, giving her delicate one a light squeeze, before gently leading her inside. They wound through the house, turning various corners before finally winding up in front of the living room doors.

The brunette gave them a light push, and they parted... revealing a group of thirteen boys. All of whom were staring at them in shock except for four, being Preston, Rob, Mitch and Seto.

Preston appeared to be amused. Rob seemed worried. Mitch was staring at the floor, refusing to meet either of their gazes. And Seto...?

He looked like he couldn't care less.

It was quiet for a few awkward seconds, until a tall ravenette broke the silence.

"New player... Cool. Welcome."

Soft laughter, but tension still remained. No one really wanted to address the situation.

"Well," The speaker said at last, when no one else offered anything. "Hey. I'm Ian."

"I know." She answered in a tiny voice, staring down at her feet. "I, um... watch your videos."

This sparked immediate chaos among the YouTubers.

"You brought a fan?!"

"How old even is she?"

"Are you serious, Jerome?!"

Ellie shrunk down at the accusing words, practically hiding behind Jerome at this point. The man was completely ignoring the shouts, his narrowed gaze locked on Mitch. He was waiting for his boyfriend to speak up. He remained silent, purposely avoiding looking Jerome's way.

"Can all of you shut up?" A voice cut through, somehow louder than the all the other's combined. The chatter continued for a few moments before gradually fading away, all eyes now on the agitated boy. "Seriously. Stop jumping on their case. Did you forget you're yelling at, dumbasses?" Jerome knows what he's doing. Chill." And with that, he leaned back, rolling his eyes to prove how stupid this all was to him.

Ellie's face lit up when she saw who it was defending them. Her grip on Jerome's hand tightened, squeezing painfully.

"Now that that's over..." Mitch mumbled, glancing sideways at his friends. "That's Ellie. She's thirteen. She's a photographer. She's staying with us, and she's going to play. Get used to her." He leaned back against the wall, staring boldly at Jerome, who met his gaze evenly.

One by one, the boys introduced themselves, followed by profuse apologies for getting so defensive.

The last two were the only ones who really stood out to Ellie. She knew most of these people. She didn't even bat an eye when introduced to Sub and Ethan, two who she'd never seen or heard before in her life... But still, it was the two she was most familiar with who stuck with her.

"Hey, Ellie. I'm Brice." The Australian offered her a smile, which she timidly returned. "I'm technically not apart of Team Crafted... So don't worry about not fitting in. Us off-brands stick together." He nudged Sub, who was seated rigidly next to him. He snorted as the boy shied away from his touch, scooting closer to Ethan.

Seto had to be reminded multiple times, and even have his phone taken away, to get him to talk to Ellie. Even when he did, it was with great reluctance.

"Seto." He said curtly. He barely nodded at her before turning to glare at Adam. "Now can I have my phone back?"

"No. Be nice."

With a sigh, Seto looked back at Ellie, eyeing the giddy teenager. "I'm Seto. Harvey. Aärvu. Whatever. I'm not in Team Crafted either, since that's obviously such a big deal to some people," He didn't look at said people, but it was clear his words disturbed more than one of the members. "Hi Ellie. There, Adam. Now give it back."

"Nope. Now, we play!" Adam declared, grinning at all of them. "Truth or Dare! Starting with... Ty!"