Julian and I had made it to a relatively quiet corner of Courtney's house, through the large crowd of frisky teenagers and away from the booming music.

All around us, people were dancing, drinking, making out or generally acting bat-shit crazy.

Typical, same old shit.

I scanned the area in search of my friends but failed to find them. I shot a quick text to them in our group chat, letting them know that I'm here and quickly pocketed my phone.

"Why exactly do you think all of this is fun?" Julian asked, gesturing around the massive room, which looked like a scene from a high-end club.

"Welcome to the world of the popular and the petty. I like standing here and watching people do things that they would never do when they're sober and be amused. It makes me feel good about myself," I grinned.

"Weirdo." He chuckled.

"Have you told Tyler I'm here?" He asked, awkwardly shifting from one foot to another.

"No, I haven't. Why?"

"I'm not sure how he'll feel about this..." he trailed off, running a hand through his hair, looking nervous.

"Would you just calm down! How bad could it be? We're just hanging out with people our age, in a social setting, that includes free alcohol or other drinks with...dubious ingredients and junk food!" I chirped.

"That's one way to put it..."

"That's the right way to put it," I interrupted him. "I won't promise you that you'll have fun tonight, because I'm not a big fan of these parties myself. But I think this is a experience you should have."

"Alright, fine!" He raised his hands in mock surrender and I smiled.

After a few minutes he nudged his shoulder with mine, and asked, "So what did you want to tell me? What happened today?"

I turned to face him completely. "You already know about Andrew Stone coming to our school and why right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I heard Max talking about it. He seemed nervous about it, which was kinda odd."

"He must be nervous about his dad finding out the truth, or meeting me, or both." I shrugged.

"Well, did he? Meet you, I mean."

"Yes." I nodded and told him about everything that had happened today.

"Wow." He sighed. "I kinda expected this I guess, Andrew Stone is a really calculating man."

"Do you know him too? Tyler seemed...comfortable around him. It just felt strange," I said, hoping to learn more about what kind of a relationship both he and Tyler had with him.

"Yeah, but not as well as Ty does. I have met him once when I was still studying in Boston and was back home for a vacation."

"Tyler thinks he's not a bad guy."

"It's obvious that he'll say that. Andrew has helped him and Mom a lot, during my dad's long absences. When mom had a heart attack a year ago, dad wasn't in town, and I was in Boston, it was Andrew who helped and supported Ty through everything. So yes, it's natural that he doesn't see him as a bad guy, " he said, walking over to a couch nearby and plopping down on it.

I followed him to the couch and took a seat beside him. "I can't believe he did that. I mean, I'm glad he was there for Tyler when he needed him, but it's hard to believe that the man I saw today would be capable of being so kind."

"The relationship between our families run deeper than business. Andrew and his wife, Rose, both went to high school with my parents. My dad and he were best friends, both married their high school sweethearts, gained huge success with their own startups, and settled down. They hoped their children would get along too, but..." He shrugged. "No matter how much our parents tried, Tyler and Max could never be anything more than rivals. Always hating each other. Always competing against each other."

"Well, you're friends with Max. So, both your parents might be happy about that, " I grinned.

"My dad doesn't consider me as his son, so I guess it doesn't count." He gave me a grim smile. "Besides, we're not really friends, I just know a few people in his circle and I sometimes hang out with them. God, I wish I could just avoid him altogether, I can't stand him."

I sighed and leaned back on the couch, closing my eyes for a few minutes.

"Why is Tyler letting Max blackmail him into doing things? Why not just go to his dad or Mr. Stone, and tell him everything? I'm sure he'd help somehow, right?"

"Max is mostly blackmailing Ty to lose matches against him and Dad doesn't care about Ty playing football, he just wants him to focus on his studies and business so that he can take over after him. He'll be gaining as much as Max from this; Tyler not pursuing football in future and his secret along with his reputation being safe."

God, his dad was a jerk.

"And as far as Mr. Stone is concerned, I don't think he'll do much about it. Max is unhinged, taking any drastic step to punish him in any way will result in him lashing out and throwing a bitchfit, which in turn – if the word gets out – will be a major set back to his campaign. It's all a mess," he sighed and buried his face in his hands.

He suddenly looked up at me after a few seconds, "And all of this were my assumptions, Tyler won't even think about asking anyone's help. He thinks he can handle everything alone, " he rolled his eyes.

"He has you." I smiled and he shrugged.

"It's really nice of you guys to want to protect your dad's reputation after everything he has done, " I commented.

"It's not his reputation or him we're trying to protect. It's Mom. She doesn't deserve all of this, and it would put her through a lot of stress if her personal hell was made public like that."

"I get it." I nod. "Hey, on a lighter note, my Dad called mom and he is probably coming back tonight. He also said he was sorry, so I guess that's a start."

"Hey! That's great, it's been almost two days, right?" He asked and I nodded. "Where was he?"

"I...I don't know, " I frowned. "I actually never thought–" My voice trails off, and my eyes narrow in confusion, as I spot someone in the crowd. "What the hell!"

Julian follows my line of sight and stiffens. "That's Max's girlfriend, isn't she?"

"Yes. Heather." Dressed in a full sleeved, black top and skinny jeans, looking lost and uncomfortable. It was unusual to see her in casual clothes, specially at a party.

"What is she doing here?"

"I don't know, " I mumbled. "You think she'll recognize you?"

"I'm not sure, I think she might."

Just then I saw Avi and Neil walking towards me with purposeful strides.

"Finally! Why are you hiding out here?" Neil asked, but my eyes were fixed on Avi who looked like a nervous wreck.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"We have a problem, " Avi said.

Yeah, I figured that much.

Both me and Julian stood up from the couch. "What's going on?"

Wait. Suddenly I notice Ash is missing and I panic.

"Where's Ash?" I asked.

"She's with Ian," Avi answered.

"What? Why did you leave her alone with that jerk? We should go see if she's okay, " I tried to move, but Neil placed a heavy hand on my shoulder making me stop.

"Neil, what are you doing? What if he tries something on her?" I said, trying to get out of his grip.

"I know he's a jerk and I've made sure she's safe, but we've another pressing matter right now, " Neil said, looking into my eyes.

What could possibly be more important?

"You're scaring me. What is it?" I said and he dropped his hands from my shoulders.

"Some Edgewood high crowd have crashed the party, probably looking for a fight, " Neil gritted out. "And we think Max is with them too."

Well, shit.

This night just keeps taking the turn for the worst.