~~

Rayver POV

It was now towards the end of September, two whole weeks after the start of classes. Luckily for me, the whole fiasco with Regina had come to a stop when a new rumour started going around.

Also, I agreed to join the scholastic decathlon, so that's what I and my friends were busying ourselves with.

Regina... Well, she's been... Herself. I thought that because I got to stop her, that meant we would be closer to each other, but I found out that that was just wishful thinking.

Oh, and my favourite class is gym. Surprisingly.

And all because of a certain blonde girl.

I had just arrived at school and was on my way to our meeting place. Also known as my locker.

"Hey." I greeted them with a nod.

They said their hellos back, except for Fiona. I font know why, but ever since the time she walked out of the cafeteria two weeks ago, she hasn't been talking to me. At all.

We were all currently talking about the decathlon —that's what we usually talk about these days— when the both of them suddenly froze mid-sentence.

Right as I gave them a confused look, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and saw her. I have to admit it, I really, really liked her.

I immediately smiled widely at her, "Hey, Blair!"

She giggled and twirled a strand of white-blond hair through her fingers, "Rayvie! Hey."

"So, uh... What's up?" I asked, subconsciously scratching the back of my neck.

"There's this party tonight. Hope you and... Your friends can come too. What do you think?"

I thought about it for a second. I don't really want to go... But she said she wanted me to. Plus, I don't think Mr Luciano would allow me to.

I opened my mouth to reply, but Miley spoke ahead of me. "Of course, we'll be there!"

"Great! See you there." Blair said, then glanced at me, sending a wink my way before strutting away on her heels.

I think my heart leapt up to the heavens.

I have been warning you, but you still don't listen. Oh well, your funeral.

Nothing is going to happen. Except, of course, for good things.

With your nonexistent luck? You wish.

These voices...

I tuned back into the conversation and heard Miley trying to persuade Fiona into going.

"Come on, Fee! Let's go to the party. You never go to a party. This is your chance!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Yeah, Fiona. It's going to be fun! You're already in your senior year, it's time to live a little." Jordan said, nudging Fiona by the shoulder.

The force seemed to be a little too strong, causing the notebook that she was holding to fall to the floor. Papers flew everywhere, making her give Jordan a murderous glare that rivalled a kitten's. Cute.

Wait.

Did I just think that she's cute?!

You know it's a fact.

Not that she would think the same of you.

She just might, you never know.

I crouched down along with the three of them to help pick up the fallen pages, all the while Jordan was getting scolded by both Miley and Fiona.

As I was picking up the papers, I glanced at one of them and accidentally read what it wrote.

Three words, eight letters, and a whole lot of--

The paper was suddenly snatched from my hand, making my head shoot up and look at who took it, which turned out to be Fiona.

Her glare that was previously meant for Jordan, was now turned to me.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to look at it." I apologized with a sheepish grin.

She simply ducked down her head and picked up the fallen sheets quicker. When we stood up, I said to her, "So, will you come to the party, Fiona?"

She gave me a quick glance, then nodded once, making Miley squeal and Jordan fistbump into the air.

"Oh, this is going to be so fun! We totally have to go shopping later before the party." Miley said to Fiona, who shook her head.

"No, we will not be going to any shopping. It's just a party, Miles!" Fiona countered.

"Exactly why we should go shopping! This is your first party, and I'm going to make sure you will love it."

"I highly doubt that, but, whatever to make you shut up."

"Also, don't you want to impress a certain boy?"

Huh. I never realized that she had a crush on someone. Not that we're that close yet, I mean, she rarely even looks at me. Lest a straight conversation.

"Hey, you are coming, right? I mean, will you be allowed to?" Jordan suddenly asked me.

"Yeah... I think I'll have to ask permission first from my dad." I said to him.

Wait.

Did I just...

Oh, God...

I just called Mr Luciano, 'dad'.

I know it's not the time yet, but why does it feel so... Right?

God... What would Ina say if she heard me?!

She'd probably beat you up to a bloody pulp.

She probably would...

The bell rang, so we all went our separate ways, but as Miley and I were on our way to class, we got stopped.

"Hey, Rayver, right?" Someone asked me. He looked kinda familiar with his auburn hair and green eyes.

"Uh... Y-yeah..?" Jeez, my stuttering came back.

Not that it ever went away just because you had your so-called 'friends'.

He grinned at me, "Knew it was you. Anyway, can you come with me for a bit?"

Without waiting for a response, he started walking away, leaving me with no option but to follow him.

I glanced at Miley who gave me a shooing motion with her hands. I gave her a weary look in return.

I followed the mystery guy all the way to the farthest hallway of the school. Okay, now I'm worried. If I wasn't before, I surely am now.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything to you." He chuckled, "The Queen called for you."

My eyes widened. The Queen? As in Regina? Why would she call for me? What did I do? And who is this guy? Does he know about our connection to each other?

He chuckled again, making my eyes snap to him.

"Don't worry, I know that you're her brother." He said nonchalantly.

"I-but... H-how? Why?! " I asked incredulously. Would she really tell her friends about me? Me?

I really think that she shouldn't have, though.

Actually, she should have told the whole world!

He didn't answer any of my sputtering, instead continuing to walk to wherever we were going. I decided against asking him where to, though.

We then arrived at a pair of big doors. It looked like the way to the back of the school. Before I could even question why we were going in that direction, he shoved the doors open.

I blinked away the sudden lights from my eyes, making me lift my hand to cover my eyes.

Once I got my eyesight back, I glanced around, surprised at what I saw.

Around me stood the most popular group in the whole school, with the Queen as their leader in the middle, holding a cigarette.

She was leaning at the wall, her leather jacket reflecting off the shine of the morning sun. Underneath her leather jacket was a black thin tank top, she also wore black jeans and a pair of combat boots.

Just like her, the rest of the group had expensive designer clothes, most covered by either leather jackets or denim jackets.

And then there was me, clad in a navy blue hoodie, dark wash jeans, and a pair of high top converse shoes.

"Took you long enough, debole." The last word she said caused the whole group to snap their heads in her direction. She ignored them. {weakling.}

"S-sorry." I apologized.

"Qualunque. Anyway," She waved her hand dismissively, "I'm guessing you've heard of the party?" {Whatever.}

I frowned in confusion, how did she know? "Uh, yeah. I was actually just going to ask Mr Luciano."

"Who invited you?" Her voice held no judgment, just pure curiosity. Before I could answer, she took a drag off her cig and puffed smoke in my direction, causing me to cough.

She glanced at me, but didn't react on it.

I thought about what I should say. She and her friends didn't seem to be well associated with the King's group, which meant if I told her that it was Blair, she might not let me go.

"U-uh, it was... Um.. M-Miley! Yeah, it w-was her..." I said, stuttering.

Real believable.

If you're gonna lie, at least make it seem real.

She raised an eyebrow at my visible lie, but once again, she didn't react to it anymore.

She then nodded and took another drag of her smoke, saying, "Fine. Be home before midnight. I don't give a fuck if you come back a minute before midnight, but if that clock strikes twelve and you're not home, be ready for a big ass punishment."

I gulped before quickly nodding.

"Va via." She mumbled to me, then turned her eyes away. {Go away.}

I just stayed there with a confused feeling, wondering what in the world she was saying. Does she not know that I still don't know how to speak or understand Italian?

You really need to learn how to do those sooner rather than later.

I am learning! But... Just the basics, like, 'ciao' is 'how are you', and 'buonasera' is 'nice to meet you'. {hello~good evening}

Stop. Just... Stop.

I wholeheartedly agree.

I give up.

"She meant to say that, you may go back to class now." A guy with brown hair and eyes said to me. He looked very buff and very intimidating.

If I wanted to know who that was, I needed to ask Miley.

I gave them a tight-lipped smile before spinning on my heels and high tailing out of the place.

Once I got back inside the building, a smile graced my face.

I'm going to my first party.

~~

As everyone knows, I am editing, so I have decided to just put the whole chapter that was supposed to be together, actually together. I hope you will not get confused when you see that the chapter numbers have doubled.

This will not be the first time this is to happen.

~~

Rayver POV

"How long do you think they will take?" Jordan asked me as we were lounging lazily in Miley's living room.

"Who knows the ways of women?" I mumbled back.

We've been here for an hour and a half? And the girls were still not finished getting ready.

"I have a feeling that we may have underestimated this moment. Damn, we gave them two hours before we got here, but apparently, that isn't enough." Jordan ranted, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. I don't blame him.

The sound of a door bursting open startled the both of us, making us sit upright.

"Party rock is the house to-- Jordan! And... Who are you??" A female's voice made us both turn to the doorway.

There stood a college-age-looking girl who got the emo vibe around her. She had short black hair, black lipstick and makeup, skull accessories, and an all-black outfit.

I realized that she was still waiting for an answer. Thanks to Jordan, I managed to avoid a stuttering introduction.

"Oh, this is Rayver, our new friend. Rayver, meet Miley's girlfriend, Natasha." I looked at him in shock. Natasha??

"Your name is 'Natasha'?!" My eyes widened at what I blurted out. "I-I'm sorry, it's just that... that--"

"That I don't look like a 'Natasha', huh?" I nodded embarrassingly. "Don't worry. You're not the first one. Other people would think that I'm more of a 'Raven' or a 'Marcelina'."

"Well, n-not too sound judgmental or stereotypical, but, yeah. Natasha would be the furthest name I'd imagine you to be." I sheepishly confessed.

Thankfully, she only gave me a shrug and a wave of her hand that meant... What did that mean?

For a nerd, you are really stupid. She meant that it was okay, you idiot!

Please stop cussing already.

"Anyway, that aside, where is my darling gal?" She didn't even wait for an answer from either of us boys, and instead continued sprinting up the stairs.

Suddenly, it dawned on me like I was suddenly drenched with ice-cold water.

"Wait, Miley is gay?!" Right after I said that, I immediately regret my tone. "N-not that there was a problem with that! I-I mean, I'm all for that. Go gay pride!"

I don't think you even need me to remind you of how much you suck right now.

I'm embarrassed for you. Not.

Jordan's chuckle brought me out of my reverie, "It's okay, dude. But, yeah, she's a lesbian. I'm surprised that you didn't know yet."

Or maybe, they really didn't tell you because they didn't think that you'll be leeching off with them this long.

I flickered my gaze to my shoes. The voice is right. Maybe they didn't even like me being here. They just tolerate me and are waiting for when I would relieve them from my clingy self.

"Alright, boys," Miley's voice made me look up to the bottom of the staircase where she was, "Get ready for... Fiona McKinney two point oh!"

The sound of heels clacking made our attention drift to where it came from, and true to what Miley had announced, this did look like an improved version of Fiona.

Are you saying that the Fiona before wasn't pretty?!

W-what?! No! I said 'improvement', which meant that it was good before, now it's better.

Yeah, yeah, whatever.

I stared at Fiona, looking at her outfit for tonight. Unlike her everyday clothes which were simple shirts and jeans, Miley really went all out for her tonight.

She was wearing a black tank top with a grey off-shoulder flannel covering the bottom half, and white jean shorts. She partnered all this with a pair of black boots that reached up to her knees.

Tell her she looks pretty!

B-but--

Do it!

"You look amazing!" My eyes widened at what I said. I didn't mean to say that much.

Good job.

Meh.

The way Fiona's eyes grew big was the last I saw of her face before she turned her face far from my direction so we weren't holding eye contact.

"Thanks... I guess." I faintly heard her mutter.

Does she really dislike me so much?

Well, yeah.

But why? I never did anything.

Your existence is a good enough reason.

"Aww, how me about me, Ray? Jordan?" Miley whined, making my attention span back to her.

She was pretty tonight as well. She was dressed in a weird and uncomfortable-looking dress that reached her mid-thigh, and it also had only one sleeve that reached her wrist. It was a pretty dark blue dress that seemed like it was sparkling.

Weird and uncomfortable looking, but pretty nonetheless.

"Don't worry babe, you don't need their approval. It's you and me against the whole motherfucking world!" Natasha cooed while squeezing the life out of Miley. Miley didn't seem to mind, though.

"Well, now that you guys are done, let's go!" Jordan yelled, skipping to the door. Like, literal skipping.

I looked at the two-- no, three girls and gave them a shrug. Miley and Natasha smiled to themselves and sprinted out, holding hands and all. I let my gaze follow them as they exited the house without another word said.

And then there were two.

I turned back to Fiona who was already looking at me. But, like any other time, she avoided eye contact with me.

I should have gotten used to it by now, but strangely enough, I felt a slight pang in my chest.

I'll never be good enough.

After a moment of quietness, I cleared my throat, bringing her attention to me. "I-uh... Let's go..?" I said, more of a question than a statement.

She pursed her lips, gave me a silent nod, and started to go down the stairs. When she reached me, I tried to smile at her so she would smile back. Thankfully, she did return my smile.

We then headed to the door wordlessly, a smile still gracing my face.

I made her smile.

~~

Tell me, why did I even bother to come here?

Because of bitch, I mean 'Blair'.

Hey! Don't call her a-a... Female dog!

Of course you're too wimpy to cuss even once.

"Fee, you have to try at least one shot!" I tuned in back just in time to see Jordan trying to get Fiona to drink.

I could barely hear them over the loudness of the music. Meanwhile, the two lovebirds were dirty dancing with each other on the sweat-filled dance floor.

"J, you know that I'm the designated driver. I'm not allowed to drink!" Fiona said back.

Jordan opened his mouth to answer her, but was cut off when a new voice chimed in. A voice that sent shivers down my spine.

"Rayver, I'm so glad you're here! I thought you wouldn't come." I spun around to see Blair, clothed in very compromising clothing.

She wore maroon denim short shorts, a black cropped tank top, and boots that looked like Fiona's, only hers reached up to her thighs, leaving little to the imagination.

I averted my eyes from her milky white thighs and looked up at her face. She was twirling a strand of curled platinum blonde hair.

I realized that she was smirking at me, obviously knowing how I was blatantly staring. I blushed in embarrassment and unfortunately embarrassed myself even more by speaking.

"I... Um... Y-you, uh... I mean--" Her cute giggle cut me off.

"It's okay, Rayvie. I totally understand why you're staring." She then gave me a wink, making my blush deepen.

"Hey, I thought you weren't drinking? Stop chugging the bottle, Fee!" I vaguely heard Jordan say, but I was too into Blair to pay attention.

"So, Rayvie, let's go to the backyard!" I didn't get a chance to answer before Blair pulled me to the sliding door leading outside.

If the inside was noisy already, then the backyard was blaring loud. I think there are like, four or five speakers out here.

One more thing, there was a pool.

A pool.

And, people were swimming in it.

I didn't know this was a pool party.

Who would even want or need to inform you?!

"Here!" I snapped my awareness back to Blair who was holding a red paper cup and reaching out for me.

I took the cup and peeked inside, seeing a brownish-something inside it. I brought it near my nose and sniffed it.

Beer.

I scrunched my nose, preparing to decline, but the look Blair gave me, unfortunately, urged me to not say no.

I hesitated before putting it in my mouth and tried to drink it slowly.

Total wrong move.

I immediately started choking and then coughing, trying to get the weird feeling out of my mouth.

Blair, on the other hand, was practically having tears laughing at me.

I blushed beetroot red at what I did, but it was overridden by the fact that I made her laugh.

Yes... Quite literally, actually.

"Oh my god, Rayvie! That is so not how you drink liquor." She took a cup from a random person's hand, "It's like this."

She then proceeded to throw her head back and gulp down the rest of the beer on her cup.

I nodded as if I understood what she meant, but honestly, I wasn't going to try that again.

Regina would be very disappointed in you.

Wait, speaking of Regina, is she here?!

Quickly looking around, I scanned my eyes through the crowd, hoping to not catch her face. Blair seems to notice my frantic searching, though.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She asked with a voice that sounds concerned.

Concerned my ass.

"Uhh, Blair... Is Re-- I m-mean, is the Queen here?" I asked, almost accidentally calling her by her name which I was informed that wasn't allowed.

I almost saw Blair's face grow sour at my question, but when I glanced back at her, nothing changed from before. She still looked like her usual bubbly self.

Huh.

"Uh, no. The Queen doesn't do parties. Or her... little group. But anyway, come on, let's dance!" Her voice sounded to grow sweeter word after word that I would be rude to say no. So I agreed.

We started dancing at the side of the pool. And by 'we', I meant Blair dancing like a pro, while I was standing awkwardly, swaying my body side to side every now and then.

Blair unfortunately noticed what I was doing.

"Come on, Rayvie! Dance!" She exclaimed with excitement as she took my hand hers and started to 'guide' me.

After a while, I began to loosen up the stiffness I had and was dancing to the beat even without Blair helping me.

A few minutes later, a very dirty song came on and people started dancing very... Uh... Intimately with each other.

Because of the adrenaline in my veins, all my awkwardness suddenly dissipated and was replaced by drunken courage.

I may or may not have been drinking beer from time to time.

As the song came on, I noticed out of the corner of my eyes that the people in the pool began going out, but I didn't pay it any heed.

Get out of there.

Blair put her arms around my neck, locking gazes with me.

Rayver, get out of that place and go away.

With our eyes still on each other, I saw that she started to lean closer, causing me to also lean toward her.

Ray, get the fuck out of there!

I then stared at her full, plump lips that looked like they had cast an incantation on me.

Motherfucking shit, get the hell out of there! Now!

And right before our lips touched one another's, I saw a smirk line up on her lips.

And then, water.

Damn it.

~~

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