Lights. Flashing, blinding. Bodies, stumbling around, too drunk to even comprehend where the floor lay. Music, guaranteed to give anyone listening permanent hearing damage. Emily drank it all in, her fingers clasped firmly around her bottle of beer, the sour taste of the alcohol burning her throat and promising a morning of regret. In the moment, however, Emily found herself unable to care. She was furious, she couldn't believe that Andy would invade her privacy like that.

            Part of her understood why he'd asked the question—though she wasn't excusing him by any means—she'd had boyfriends, and she was a month from seventeen. It made sense, in a way, for him to be curious. But he was her brother, and that wasn't something she was willing to share.

            It was no secret that Andy was not a virgin. He was a womanizer, a new girl catching his attention every couple months. He'd had girlfriends, though nothing ever lasted long. Andy wasn't the kind of guy to settle down with a girl, and he didn't seem to have any wish for a serious relationship.

            Emily, on the other hand, enjoyed being in a relationship. She'd dated four guys since her first kiss in freshman year, though the first two had only lasted a few months. She liked going on dates and feeling special, though her breakup with her last boyfriend had left her feeling far from it.

            Spotting Andy walking around the corner, Emily quickly pushed her way farther into the crowd, catching a glimpse of someone who looked exactly like Jonathan standing uncomfortably in the far corner of the room. Shaking of off as a trick of the alcohol, Emily tossed away her empty bottle, letting her hands drop to her hips as she began to dance. Jonathan didn't seem like the kind of guy to go to a party, he was too much of a goody-two shoes. But, glancing back over to where she'd seen him, Emily found herself surprised.

            Jonathan and Andy were engaged in what looked to be a heated conversation, Andy's face growing increasingly redder and redder, while Jonathan just looked upset. Finally, Andy seemed to cut off the conversation, dropping his fist down on the nearby countertop and walking away angrily. Seeing her moment to investigate, Emily quit her dancing, moving back to where Jonathan was fuming.

            "What was that about?" Emily began, nearly screaming over the music. She slid onto one of the bar stools next to where Jonathan was standing, crossing her legs and propping her head up with an elbow. Jonathan stared down at her, taking a moment to recognize her. He sighed heavily.

            "With your brother? No offense, but he's being a total douche. We have this assignment due for English class, and he's making me do all the work. Like come on, I know I'm a nerd, but that doesn't give him the right to pretend like he's not part of the project. You know?" Jonathan said frustratedly, running a hand through his still somehow perfect hair.

             Emily giggled tipsily. "Tell me about it." She said, suddenly bitter. "He only seems to care about himself. He has no respect for anyone else's privacy, or, in your case—" she waved a hand in Jonathan's general direction "—for other people's time and educational commitment."

'         "I just wish he'd take it seriously." Jonathan chuckled. "I guess that's Andy though. He doesn't seem to do anything serious." His eyes darted to the left, and Emily followed his gaze, seeing Andy linking arms with a familiar blonde. Jenna Bryers. Curling her fingers angrily, Emily excused herself from Jonathan, grabbing another drink and stomping off into another room where she couldn't watch Andy ruin another girl's life.

            She was done with it. She was done with his stupid questions; she was done with his stupid pranks; she was done with Andy. He needed to grow up and start treating women the way they deserved to be treated. He shouldn't have been messing around with Jenna, the pieces beginning to fall into place. Andy was the reason that Jenna hated Emily. Andy was the reason why Jenna had upset Emily; her brother was the reason why she couldn't get one girl's words out of her mind. Head buzzing, Emily's blood boiled. It was all Andy's fault. Everything was her brother's fault.

            She was done with it.

            Emily was still seething when he approached her. She couldn't hear him over the music, but she recognized his familiar cologne as soon as it washed over her. It was comforting, bringing back memories worth a year. A year wasted, spent loving someone who couldn't, woudln't, love her back.

            "Lily."

            Turning around with a heavy heart, Emily was met with the face of her ex, the guy who'd broken her heart and stepped on it, crushing it into a million pieces. "Don't call me that, Nicolas."

            "Formal." Nico Royal laughed sadly, staring wistfully at the empty red solo cup in his hands. "What's new with you, Li—Emily?" He leaned against the wall next to her, just the perfect height to rest his chin on her head if he leaned forward. They fit together like puzzle pieces. Andy had often teased her about it back when they dated.

            "Why are you talking to me, Nicolas?" Emily winced as she said his full name, the word sounding foreign on her tongue. They'd been so happy together. Then he'd decided that he needed time alone. He'd never explained, he'd never called. Nicolas Royal had dropped off the face of the earth, and Emily had forced herself to get over him.

            "I'm sorry." Nico wrung his hands together, setting down his empty cup. "I can't even begin to apologize to you, what I must have put you through. I know you tried to call me and I never answered and I—"

           "Please stop." Emily cut him off. "Nicolas, you made it very clear that we were over. I'm over you." She lied, gritting her teeth. "I tried to talk to you, but you didn't listen. I'm done trying."

          "Emily, I needed time to figure out my own problems." Nico begged. "Are you really done? Because I'm ready to be in a relationship, I've figured myself out. I can finally be the guy that you deserved last year."

           "You were perfect the way you were." Nico shook his head.

            "No I wasn't. At least not in my eyes. I wasn't good enough, and I felt like a burden to you. I had to leave, Lily. But I want to try again."

             Emily hung her head, letting out a deep breath. "Nico, I—"

             "Look, just meet me at our favorite place on Saturday. That should give you enough time to make up your mind. I'll be waiting for you, even if you don't want to wait for me." Nico smiled sadly, before getting up and walking away, leaving a stunned Emily behind him.

             Shaking her head as if to rid herself of her thoughts, Emily stood up, shakily making her way towards the back door of the house. It was nearly midnight, a few couples from the party cuddled up in the dewy grass, their hands locked together as they whispered and giggled under the stars. Emily's mouth felt dry and bitter. She was so incredibly jealous of the couples, young and naive and in love. They didn't know that love was also pain and agony and fury. But then again, who could ever love me? Emily thought, scoffing quietly to herself in the dark. Nico had left her, her boyfriends before had left her, everyone left her at one point or another. Even her parents, working nonstop and never bothering to check up on her or Andy.

             Andy.

             He was walking across the grass, making a beeline for Emily. There was nowhere for her to hide, and as he approached, Emily put up her walls, crossing her arms across her chest as if to shield herself. His hair was messy, and the top buttons of his shirt were undone. His face however, was etched in a frown.

           "Emily." Andy stopped a couple feet away from his sister, fiddling nervously with his hands. He'd seen her walk out of the house after she'd spoken to Nico, the bastard that had hurt her the year before. Not even thinking about their fight, he'd followed her outside, needing to know if she was okay. Now, standing before her, Andy wondered if it was a mistake.

            "Andrew." Emily said flatly, her eyes narrowed in a glare. Even in the dark lighting, Andy could still make out her body shifting, moving her weight from foot to foot, a sign that she was nervous and upset. "I told you to stay away from me."

             Andy cleared his throat. "Are you okay? I saw you talking with Nico." An unknown emotion flickered briefly across Emily's face, and then it was gone, replaced by her stoic expression.

          "And? Come to ask me if I gave up my virginity to him?" Emily snapped. She was still so angry, still so done with her brother.

          "C'mon Em, you know I didn't mean that. I meant are you okay after seeing him? I know what that jerk did to you." Andy said softly. Emily's walls were cracking, she wanted so desperately to run into her brother's open arms and tell him everything, how Jenna had made her feel, how seeing Nico brought back so many painful memories. Still, she refused to let herself give in.

          "It's none of your damn business how I feel."

         "Yeah, well I'm your older brother and its my job to look after you!" Andy waved his hands, shaking his hair out of his eyes.

          "I didn't ask for you to be my older brother. I didn't ask for you to come prying into my personal life. I'm your sister, for god's sake! You don't ask your sister personal and private questions!" Emily's voice cracked.

          "I'm so sorry that I made you feel uncomfortable or violated. It wasn't my intention." Andy said sincerely. "I didn't even mean to ask you that, I actually wanted to tell you something else but then I couldn't do it and that slipped out. I was too afraid to talk to you, and well, now you're furious with me." They lapsed into silence, the muffled music from back inside the house the only sound around them.

         "What did you want to tell me?" Emily broke the quiet, staring up at the stars. Around them, the couples were beginning to lean in closer, counting down until the new year. Andy looked down at the ground, his cheeks flushing.

          "I-I'll tell you when I'm not drunk. And when you're not mad." Andy's voice suddenly took on an uncharacteristically cheery and fake tone, a wide smile lighting up his face as he looked back up. "It's five until midnight, I have to go find someone." Emily frowned.

          "Hey, I'm trying to forgive you, you can't just walk away from me." Emily protested, but Andy simply kissed her on the cheek and ran back inside. She was so confused, her brother was sad and angry one minute and happy the next. She didn't know if she was mad or hurt anymore, nor did she know how she felt about anything. The entire night was taking a toll on her, and she found herself following Andy back into the house, though the boy was nowhere to be seen.

           She did see Nico though, standing off in the corner. All around her, people were dancing together, ready to share a kiss as the clock stuck twelve. Emily debated going over to Nico—a small part of her so desperately wanted to—but she made her way towards the front doors instead. The night was almost over, and the year would soon follow.

           Making her way over to the side of the road, her phone pressed against her ear as she called an Uber, Emily missed the pair of dark eyes watching her. She didn't notice the person standing away in the shadows, their fists clenched with anger. She didn't see their lips form her name, swearing to take her down.

         She didn't see them, though they were always watching her. Waiting.