3rd Person's POV

Cordelia raises an eyebrow as she looks around at the packed frat house.

"You know what's so cool about college? The diversity. You've got all the rich people, and all the other people."

Laney rolls her eyes as Cordelia peps up spotting Richard.

"Richard!"

"Welcome, ladies." He hands them drinks.

Cordelia grins, "Thank you."

Buffy frowns looking down at the glass, "Oh, i-is there alcohol in this?"

Richard shrugs with a light smile, "Just a smidge."

"C'mon, Buffy, it's just a smidge."

Biting her lip in un-comfort, Buffy sets the drink down on a table behind her, "I'll just..."

Richard nods, "I understand. When I was your age I wasn't into grownup things either."

Laney scoffs lightly swishing the drink around in her hand, "Sure you weren't."

Buffy gives Laney a small nod of gratitude.

"Hello beautiful..."

Laney jumps slightly in fright as someone sneaks up behind her. Turning around she gets ready to curse a college boy out, but as she sees it's Colby she smiles lightly.

"It's you."

"It's me..."

"And it's me... over here, bored." Cordelia whines.

Laney raises her hand to flick Cordelia off making Buffy chuckle.

"Real cute Laney."

"I know I am."

Colby lightly takes the drink from Laney and sets it on a table before holding out a hand to her.

"Care for a tour beautiful."

Laney smiles forgetting everyone else was around and shrugs taking his hand, "Sure thing gorgeous."

Buffy's mouth drops as Colby pulls Laney away. She thought Laney would immediately shut the college boy down, but she was wrong.

Richard chuckles to himself shaking his head as he watches Colby and Laney disappear. He turns to Cordelia with a wide grin, "Have you seen our multi-media room?"

Cordelia smiles, "Oh, the one with the cherry walnut paneling and the two forty-eight-inch televisions on satellite feed? No. Wanna show me?"

Richard glances over at Buffy as Cordelia starts to pull him away, "What about..."

"Oh, her? She's happiest by herself."

They go off and leave Buffy standing with her arms crossed.

"Oh great." Buffy mutters sadly while looking around the crowded room.

...

At a side window of the frat house, Xander pokes his head in, looks around and climbs in. He loses his balance and falls through the window onto the floor. Quickly, he hops back up and takes a drink from a tray that's being passed around by a half-naked pledge.

"Cheers!"

Xander walks into the crowded living room and has a look around. He looks at a girl as she walks by, but doesn't notice Buffy behind him. She's looking the other way and doesn't see him either.

As his head snaps to look at another girl passing by, he then is distracted by a tray of hors-d'oeuvres being carried around by another pledge in drag. He reaches for the tray and follows it away just as Buffy turns around.

She's bored and lonely and fidgets with her hands. She looks down at her drink and picks it up again. She stirs it idly for a moment, then realizes she really doesn't want it and puts it back down. She looks around the room at the people dancing.

The dance crowd separates for a moment and a handsome young man on the other side of the room looks at her. He raises his drink to her. Tackle and Linebacker are standing behind him, watching. She notices him, picks up her drink again and raises it to him. She takes a small sip as he raises his drink for a sip also.

The guy, Tackle is drunk. He notices Buffy and starts to stagger toward her, "New girl!"

He grabs the young man for balance and pulls him away before he even gets his drink to his lips. Buffy looks up from putting her drink back down and stares at him in wide-eyed surprise when she sees him coming for her.

Tackle laughs and staggers over to her, "C'mon, sweetheart, ha, ha, yeah!"

Tom appears in the nick of time and takes her arm, "Can I have this dance?"

Tom pulls her away to the dance area just as Tackle is about to crash into her. He looks up surprised at her disappearance. He sees another girl walk by and follows her instead.

Buffy sighs, "Thanks."

"No. We're not all a bunch of drunken louts. Some of us are sober louts. I'm really glad that you decided to come."

Buffy looks down.

Tom frowns, "And you're not."

Buffy quickly looks up at Tom shaking her head, "No, it's... I shouldn't be here."

"Because you're seeing someone."

"No."

Tom shrugs, "You're not seeing someone?"

"Someone's not seeing me."

Frowning Tom looks down at Buffy, "So, why shouldn't you be here?"

"Because I have obligations. People that I'm responsible for, or to, or..."

Tom laughs and so does she.

"...with, or... It's complicated."

Nodding with an impressed grin Tom replies, "You're big on responsibility. I like that. But there's such a thing as being too mature. You should relax. Enjoy yourself once in a while."

Buffy looks down as her cheeks begin to redden, "You think I'm too mature?"

Tom chuckles, "I talk too much. Have you picked up on that yet? Anyway, the, uh, the Hulk is gone, so you don't have to dance with me."

Letting her go, Tom goes to leave but is pulled back by Buffy. Tom looks at her in question as she bites her lip.

"He might come back."

...

On the other side of the house, Xander is talking to two girls as another hors-d'oeuvre tray passes by. He grabs another one and begins to play with his food.

"Godzilla's attacking downtown Tokyo! Argh! Argh!"

The girls giggle as Xander jokes around. Meanwhile Richard stands nearby watching. Tackle and Linebacker join him.

"Who's this dork?"

Richard shrugs, "Never seen him before in my life."

Linebacker looks over at Tackle and chuckles before letting out a yell, "We got us a crasher!"

The three of them come up to Xander who is still talking to the girls, "So, have either of you seen a group of girls here? One's about so high with blonde hair, the other a mad rbf face but gorgeous, and the third..." He pauses notices the guys, "Oh...Hey, guys!"

Tackle smirks evilly, "New pledge."

Linebacker nods, "New pledge!"

Tackle grabs Xander and yells, "New pledge!"

Together the two drag Xander off with a crowd following behind chanting, "New pledge! New pledge!"

...

Outside on the patio, Buffy strolls out of the house alone. It's chilly, she rubs her arms a bit and crosses them. She steps onto a piece of glass and looks down. There are several small pieces there. As she crouches to pick one up, she then looks up above her and notices the door to the balcony has been boarded up.

Tom is outside now, too, and notices her as she stands back up.

"You okay?"

Buffy smiles nervously as she drops the piece of glass and exhales, "Yeah. I was... just thinking."

Richard finds them there, too, and hands them both drinks, "To my Argentinean junk bonds that just matured into double digits!"

Tom scoffs chuckling, "Uh, to maturity."

Buffy looks down at the drink thinking but then shrugs, "What the hell. I'm tired of being mature."

She gulps the drink. The two boys raise their eyebrows and drink theirs also.

...

After giving a tour of the house, Colby and Laney find their way to the kitchen.

Hearing chanting Laney rolls her eyes, "Speaking of new pledges... how is that going for you?"

Colby chuckles, "Well since my grandfather is a very well known sponsor-"

"You mean rich?"

Smirking Colby pulls open the fridge and grabs a bottle of alcohol, "Well there goes my secret."

Laney rolls her eyes turning to the kitchen door while leaning back against the island, "Hardly a secret. I mean look at this place. You guys are using glasses instead of red solo cups. This place screams rich."

"Very true. Very observant. I like that."

Laney laughs shaking her head as she hears him throwing ice into a glass.

"Well now that my secrets out... Being a pledge isn't too bad. I've mostly just been DD or had to help the guys study late at night. The not so lucky guys..."

Biting her lip, Laney tries not to giggle as a pledge right on time walks into the kitchen wearing a maids outfit. He looks at the two and makes a gun motion to his head before grabbing another tray of hors-d'oeuvres.

The pledge quickly makes his way out just as Laney bursts out laughing.

"I feel bad for laughing but oh my gosh. Why the maid outfits?"

Colby shrugs, "I don't know Tackle and Linebacker thought it would be a great idea. Weird guys... would definitely rather see you in that but..."

Laney gapes at him, "Very bold statement."

Colby says nothing as he hands Laney a drink making her smile slightly. The two walk out the kitchen back into the living room where a few people were dancing. Others had been in another room in the other side of the house still chanting, new pledge.

Laney sways to the music looking around. She brings the cup up to her lips then frowns immediately.

"What the hell is this?"

Colby chuckles staring at the bemused Laney, "What?"

Laney glances at the clear liquid in her glass then back at Colby, "I know the first time we met I accused you of trying to drug me, but this is just crazy. I take it back... You're now trying to poison me."

Colby rolls his eyes, "Laney, it's water."

"Exactly! What did I ever do to you?"

Throwing his head back letting out a deep laugh, Colby then grabs Laney's arm and pulls her to the side of the room away from others. Laney leans on the wall as Colby raises a hand by her head, leaning down close to her.

"Look I know these are my soon to be brothers and all, but I don't trust them one bit around a beautiful girl like yourself. So I figured I would be the only one to put a drink in your hand tonight. And if you want an alcoholic drink fine I'll get you one, but you gotta hydrate up so you don't get a killer hangover tomorrow."

"And why is that?"

"So I can take you out in the morning for breakfast."

Laney blushes slightly as she feels her cheeks begin to hurt from smiling so hard, "Well aren't you a sweetheart... who said I was going out with you?"

Colby smirks before looking down at her intensely, "You wanna dance?"

...

Buffy makes her way over to the stairs. She knocks down a drink, but can't react fast enough to catch it. She looks up at the commotion in the next room.

"Tom?"

Through hazy eyes and a wobbly head she sees Xander dancing with his back to her. Slowly, she starts to make her way up the stairs to find a place to rest. In the other room Tackle and Linebacker continue to goad Xander on.

Now upstairs, Buffy pushes open a door and steps in. She gasps as she bumps into a sculpture.

"Ooo! Ooo, sorry..."

She steadies herself and heads for the bed.

"Okay..."

Crawling onto the bed Buffy smiles, "Nice bed... Just need to stop spinning for at least... "

She lies down and falls asleep. Richard shows up at the door. He pushes it open and peeks in. Seeing Buffy asleep on the bed, he comes in and rolls her over onto her back. He smiles as he brushes his hand along her neck. Suddenly pulled away from her and shoved against the wall, he gulps as Tom glares at him.

"Get away from her!"

Richard frowns, "I wasn't doing anything!"

"I saw what you were doing."

"I was just having a little fun."

Tom scoffs, "Well, she's not here for your fun, you pervert. She's here for the pleasure of the one we serve."

Richard looks down at the ground ashamed, "In his name. "

Tom nods, "And that goes for the other one, too."

Both boys move their gaze from Buffy on the bed, to Cordelia on the floor.

Tom then looks up thinking, "What about the pledge's girl?"

Richard sighs as he walks out the room and stands on the stairwell looking down at the once again calm party. He sees a sober Laney smiling, talking to the pledge Colby.
Richard turns and grins at Tom before shrugging.

"We just have to get her to trust him."

Y'all meet Colby as a smol boy 🥺

Do we trust or no?

Also shame on the girls for not doing ho's over bros. 😂😂 you never leave a friend at a party alone.

You think Buffy should've gone to the party? We know she really did it to spite Angel and because she wanted to have a night of no slayer responsibility.

Future predictions?

Any special requests?

Favorite character? Duo? Trio?