They pulled up to Andrew's house at eight thirty on the dot. The girls grabbed their purses and climbed out of the cars. David got out and walked ahead of them.
"What's the matter Dave? Don't wanna be seen with your big sister and her uncool friends?" Josie teased
"It's not that, I see Cameron and I wanna catch up with him." David replied
"It's cool squirt." Josie said
"Dave, be ready to go at twelve okay?" Stefani said
"Gotcha. Later guys. Hey Cameron, wait up!" David yelled, running to meet his friend.
"Little brothers." Stefani said shaking her head.
"They're funny." Josie said
"That's because you don't have any." Stefani said
"Hey, at least you don't have two annoying sisters." Libby said
"True." Stefani agreed.
"Okay ladies, this is it." Libby said as they approached the door.
"We'll be fine. We're cool." Josie said
"You guys have your phones right?" Stefani asked. The other girls nodded.
"Okay, if anything important happens and we need to have a meeting, text messages are encouraged." Libby said
"Agreed." Stefani and Josie replied.
They walked up to the door and as they were going to knock, it opened. Andrew's older brother Jason stood there.
"Hey." he said
"Hi." the girls replied.
Jason was a few years older than them. He was the same age as Libby's sister Delia.
"Hey, you're Delia's little sister right?" he asked Libby.
"Uh huh." she replied
The girls all had a little crush on Jason. Not only was he older, but he was really good looking. A lot of girls they knew had crushes on Nick.
"Cool. Tell her I said hi." he said
"I will." she nodded.
"See ya later." he said brushing past them and walking away.
The girls stood there in shock.
"Did Jason Cooper just talk to us?" Josie asked
"Yeah he did." Stefani said
"Wow. Just checking." Josie said
The girls walked into the house and the party was already going. The stereo was thumping and people were dancing and having a good time. Libby spotted Andrew and waved slightly. He grinned brightly and walked over to her.
"You made it!" he exclaimed
"Yeah. My sister decided to ditch me for a night out with her roommates." Libby said
"That sucks. But I'm glad you're here. Do you want a soda or anything?" he asked
"Sure." she replied
"Follow me." he said, taking her hand.
Libby waved to Josie and Stefani before allowing herself to be pulled away by Andrew. Josie turned to Stefani.
"One down, two to go." she said
"Well, I see Evan so it is now two down, one to go. Good luck Jo." Stefani said walking away.
"Well, this is just great. I'm stranded." Josie said to herself.
"Stranded?" Ryan asked, coming up behind her.
"Not so much anymore. Hey." Josie said shyly.
"Hey. I'm glad you made it. I would have been upset if you couldn't come." he said
"Yeah well, Rayne's show got rescheduled." she said
"Good. Come with me." he said offering his hand.
She took it and they walked off together. Josie noticed the popular people in their grade all around her. She suddenly felt any confidence she may have had fly out of her. She moved closer to Ryan. He looked at her and smiled.
"You okay?" he asked
"Uh, yeah. I'm just not used to this." she said
"Not used to what?" he asked
"This. Hanging with the popular people. Coming to one of these parties." she admitted
"Don't let them freak you out. You're here with me. Don't let go of my hand and I'll stick with you all night." he said
"So if I let go, you're ditching me for some other girl?" she asked
"No, I'd find you. It's me and you tonight Josie." he said smiling at her confidently.
She smiled back. She didn't feel as confident but as long as she had Ryan by her side she would be okay.
Stefani walked up behind Evan and covered his eyes with her hands.
"Guess who?" she asked
"I don't know." he replied
"Oh come on, you have to try at least once." she said
"Fine, fine. Claudia." he said, knowing he was wrong.
Stefani uncovered his eyes and jumped in front of him.
"Surprise?" she said
"Definitely! I'm glad you made it." he said, trying to hide his enthusiasm.
"Yeah well, my mom saw me as a way out of driving my brother." she replied
"I thought I saw Dave around." he said
"Yup. He is indeed here thanks solely to me, his loving older sister." she said
"Well, I care more about his older sister." he said, sliding his arm around her shoulders.
"Really?" she asked
"Of course. If you didn't show up, I was going to call your house and beg your parents to let you come." he said
"Wow, you'd do that just for me?" she questioned
"Definitely. Tonight it's me and you." he said
"Okay." she agreed
They walked off together and passed Andrew and Libby. The girls smiled at each other.
"So, this is your house huh?" Libby asked Andrew.
"Yeah it is. Want a tour?" he asked
"Sure." she agreed
Andrew led her around his house, pointing out different cool things and rooms. They stopped when they got Andrew's room.
"Do you want to go in?" he asked
"Okay." she said
They walked into his room and he turned on the light. Libby walked around and admired different things before sitting on his bed. He sat next to her.
"Andrew, can I ask you something?" she said
"Sure Libby. You can ask me anything." he said
"Why did you invite me to the party?" she asked
"What do you mean?" he asked
"Come on Andrew, we both know that I'm not as popular as you so why did you invite me here?" she asked
"Because I wanted to get to know you." he said
"And you couldn't have done that in another place?" she asked
"I figured if we started this way, we could move to different things." he said
"Oh." she replied
He scooted closer to Libby and leaned in to kiss her.
"What are you doing?" she asked
"Do you always ask so many questions?" he asked
"When I'm feeling unsure yes." she said
"Just relax, I'm not going to do anything to you." he said
She began to say something but he put his finger to her lips. He then leaned in and kissed her gently. She pulled away.
"I think we should go back downstairs." she said
"Yeah." he agreed reluctantly.
Stefani and Evan sat on one of the couches. He kept his arm around her. She leaned in closer.
"So, what's the plan for this lovely evening?" Stefani asked
"Eh, I figure we put in like an hour here and then go someplace where we can be alone." Evan said
"Evan, I'm not going to sleep with you." Stefani said bluntly.
"I don't want you to...well, not right now. I just want to get to know you in a place where we don't have to yell over music to talk." he replied
"Oh. I have to be back by twelve to pick up the brat." she said
"Don't worry; we won't disappear for too long. Andrew gets cranky if I bail on him." he said
Stefani laughed. She could tell that it would be a fun night.
"Are all of your parties usually like this?" she asked
"Usually a little lower scale but we invited more people than we usually do." he said
"Why?" she asked
"Why what?" he replied
"Why did you invite more people silly." she said
"Oh because we didn't want people to think we're stuck up snobs like last year's popular kids." he said
"Oh. Okay." she replied
"You don't think we're like that do you?" he asked
"No, I mean, I know you're not like that because we're kinda friends ya know?" she replied
"Yeah, I guess you're right Stef." he said
"I guess." she replied
"I'm glad we're friends." he said
"Me too." she agreed
"You're a cool girl." he said
"Thanks. You're a cool guy." she replied
"Thanks." he said
�Anytime. This is fun.� She said
�It is.� He agreed
Josie sat on the couch next to Ryan.
�Do you want a soda or anything?� he asked
�Sure. Thanks.� She replied
Ryan got up and a girl came over and sat next to Josie.
�Hey, aren�t you Josie?� she asked
�Yeah, why? Josie wondered
�You�re in my art class.� she said
�Oh. What�s your name?� Josie asked
�I�m Kameryn Doyle.� She said
�Right. Hi.� Josie said
�You�re a great artist.� Kameryn said
�Thanks.� Josie said
�Yeah, so who invited you?� Kameryn asked
�Ryan did.� Josie replied
�He did?� Kamryn asked
�Yes.� Josie nodded
�I didn�t know you knew Ryan.� Kameryn said
�Yeah, he�s in my English class.� Josie said
�Oh, okay. Well, I�ll see you later.� Kamryn said
�Yeah, bye.� Josie said
Kameryn walked away and Josie shook her head. Something wasn�t right with that girl. Josie didn�t know why but she knew she couldn�t trust her. She saw Kameryn walking toward Libby who was standing by herself in the corner. She got a worried feeling in the pit of her stomach.
�Hey Libby.� Kameryn said
�Hi Kameryn! I didn�t know you were going to be here.� Libby said
�I didn�t know you were going to be here either.� Kameryn said
�Yeah, I�m here with Andrew.� Libby said
�Andrew Cooper?� Kameryn asked
�Yeah.� Libby said
�Oh. I didn�t know you guys were friends.� Kameryn said
�Yeah. We have a class together.� Libby said
�That�s cool. Where is Andrew?� Kameryn asked
�Oh, he�s outside. He should be back in a second.� Libby said
�Cool. Why are you standing in the corner?� Kameryn asked
�I don�t know. This is where Andrew and I were standing so I figured I would just stay here so he could find me again.� Libby said
�Oh.� Kameryn said
�Yeah.� Libby said
�Well, I�m going to go mingle. See ya later Libby.� Kameryn said
�Bye Kameryn.� Libby said
Kameryn walked away and Libby shook her head. Something wasn�t right with Kameryn. Josie noticed Kameryn walk away from Libby. She wondered what was said, so she got up to go see. She tapped Libby on the shoulder and Libby turned around quickly.
"Hey Jo! Having fun?" Libby asked
"A blast. Ryan is so awesome. What about you?" Josie asked
"Andrew is so sweet! He kissed me before!" Libby exclaimed
"Are you serious?" Josie asked her eyes wide.
"Yes!" Libby replied
"Awesome! Go Lib!" Josie cried
The girls hugged quickly and then relaxed before anyone could notice their outburst.
"Have you seen Stef?" Libby asked
"Yeah, her and Evan left a little while ago. They'll be back." Josie said
"Exciting. So, what's up?" Libby asked
"I saw you talking to Kameryn." Josie said
"You know Kameryn?" Libby asked
"Apparently she's in my art class. I don't know if I've ever seen here there but whatever. How do you know her?" Josie asked
"She lives on my block." Libby said
"Oh, she's weird." Josie said
"Yeah, she was acting a little strange. Stef is kinda friends with her so I'm going to text her and see if she knows anything maybe." Libby said
"Okay." Josie agreed
Libby took out her cell phone and sent a text message to Stefani asking her if she knew anything about Kameryn and what her deal was. Stefani was sitting with Evan at the beach nearby and heard her cell phone going off in her bag. She took it out and noticed she had a text message. She checked it and turned to Evan.
"Do you know Kameryn Doyle?" she asked
"Yeah, why?" he replied
"Well Libby just texted me and asked me if I know anything about her because she talked to both Libby and Josie and was acting weird." she said
Evan nodded in acknowledgment. He knew who Kameryn was. She was a girl the guys had encounters with on more than one occasion.
"Well Kameryn thinks that she's really down with our crew but she's really not." he said
"And what does that have to do with Libby and Josie?" Stefani asked
"Text Libby back and ask her what exactly Kameryn said." he told her.
"Okay." she replied
Stefani texted Libby back asking her what Kameryn said that was weird. Libby texted back about Kameryn being curious about why Libby and Josie were there.
"She said that Kameryn asked them who they were there with and then after she found out, she like left them alone." she said
"Of course! I wasn't thinking about that." he said
"About what?" she asked
"Kameryn likes Ryan and Andrew. She probably noticed them with Josie and Libby and wanted to know what the deal was. She's really weird about that." he said
"What do you mean really weird about that? Really weird about what?" she asked as she texted Libby back.
"When she sees a girl that Andrew or Ryan may like, she'll like try to be all buddy buddy with them to get closer to whichever guy it is. Then she'll try to do something to sabotage the potential relationship. It's happened a few times." Evan explained
"What? And why doesn't she like you?" Stefani asked
"Because I went out with her in freshman year. When I dumped her she totally erased me off her radar." he said
"Oh. But if she thinks she's going to do anything to either Libby or Josie, I will personally take care of her." she said
"Wow, you're really protective of your friends." he said
"Of course. Aren't you?" she asked
"Yeah." he replied
"Wait, did you say something about Andrew and Ryan liking Libby and Josie?" Stefani asked
"Not in so many words." he said
"They do?" Stefani asked her eyes wide.
"Yeah. But you can't say anything." he said
Stefani squealed in excitement for her friends. It was quite awesome for them even if they didn't know it yet.
"Yeah, okay. I won't." she said
"Promise?" he asked
"Promise." she said
"Okay good cause the guys would kill me if they found out I told." Evan said
"Don't worry." she replied
"See, this is why I like you Stefani." he said
"Why?" she asked
"Because you're so cool. Like, you're just a good person. You care about your friends, you're cool with your little brother, you're nice and you don't think I talk to you because I have an ulterior motive." he said
"Well, how do I know you don't?" she asked
"Don't what?" he replied
"Talk to me because you have an ulterior motive." she said
"You don't think that do you?" he asked
"No. But I am curious about you Evan." she said
"What about me?" he asked
"Why you invited me here?" she asked
"Because I want us to be friends. I didn't want to ask you out on a date because I wasn't sure how you would react so I figured asking you to come to a party was safer since you could be with your friends if you felt weird." he said
"Well, I do have to say that is very sweet of you." she said
"I can be a very sweet guy if I want to." he said
"I'm sure you can be. So, what do you want to talk about?" she wondered
"Hm, tell me more about you." he said
"I'm originally from California." she said
"You are? Cool, what part?" he asked
"San Diego. I lived there until I was like fourteen. Then my dad's job got transferred here so we had to move." she explained
"Do you miss it?" he asked
"Not as much as I used to. I have friends here now so I'm not as depressed about it." she said
"Well, I'm glad you're here." he said
"Thanks." she said smiling slightly.
Meanwhile, Josie and Libby were at the party trying to figure out what was wrong with Kameryn.
"I don't get it. Usually Kameryn is really nice but she was just plain weird tonight." Libby said
"If you say so. I don't even know the girl so the only impression I have of her is weird." Josie said
"Yeah, true." Libby agreed
Then the guys walked over. Andrew was going to go back to Libby and Ryan was going to look for Josie.
"I figured you two would be together." Stevie said
"Well, you're the one who got up so I left you for another girl." Josie teased
"As funny as that is...weirdo." Ryan said
"Oh please, that's nothing." Libby said
"Yeah. You ain't seen nothing yet." Josie said
"Should I be scared then?" Ryan asked
"Be afraid, be very afraid." Josie joked
"You got yourself into something there buddy." Andrew said
"Thanks Drew." Ryan said
"No problem. C'mon Libby, let's take a walk." Andrew said
"Cool beans. Later Jo. Bye Ryan." Libby said
"Later Libberz." Josie said
"Bye guys." Ryan said
Andrew and Libby walked away and went into the kitchen. They sat and the table and Andrew handed Libby another soda.
"Thanks. Will the pizza be here soon?" she asked
"Yeah. Hungry?" he asked
"I am a little. I skipped dinner." she said
"Why?" he asked
"I was getting ready to come here. It's an event." she said
"You don't look like you're trying all that hard." he said
"Ah yes, but to look like you're not trying all that hard, you have to try very hard." she said
"You girls are so confusing." he said, shaking his head.
"Oh whatever. Boys are just as confusing as girls are." she said
"Are not." he said
"We could fight about this for three hours and not get anywhere. Face it; we will never fully understand the opposite sex." Libby said
"You're so wise." he said
"I know. It's a gift really." she replied
Ryan wrapped his arm around Josie's shoulders and they walked outside.
"So, are you having fun so far?" Stevie asked
"It's different, that's for sure." Josie said
"Different in a bad way?" he asked worriedly.
"Not necessarily. I'm just used to hanging out with a different group of people is all." she said
"What kind of people do you hang out with?" he asked
"Well, Stefani and Libby for one. And like Sarah and Katie and Daniel K. People who aren't all that popular. Then there's my art friends. They are completely different. Like artsy and stuff." she said
"Define artsy." he said
"Um, most of them wear black all the time. Big heavy boots, dark eye makeup, kinda pale looking. Ya know what the gothic arty people look like. We have them at Tremont." she said
"I didn't know you hang with those type of people." he said
"Those type of people? Why? Because I don't look like one of them?" she asked
"Well, not to sound even more shallow than I probably already do, yeah." he said
"It's okay, you didn't really sound shallow. It's a normal thing. A lot of people say the same thing. My mother says it all the time. She thinks my friend Rayne is like totally weird and she's known her for over three years now." she said
"Is she the one who had the art showing tonight?" he asked
"Um, sure." she said
"What do you mean?" he asked
"I just made that up to make you think I wasn't coming." she confessed
"Why would you do that?" he asked
"Because I thought it would be a test of how much you wanted me here." she said
"Well, did I pass?" he asked
"You did indeed. Why did you want me here so badly?" she asked
"Because you're a really cool person." he said
"I am?" she asked
"Yeah. I mean, you're smart, you're nice and not to mention you're very pretty." he said. Josie blushed a deep shade of crimson to match her red hair. Ryan laughed.
Stefani and Evan sat at the beach still talking just as steadily as they had been before. Stefani was really enjoying herself. Evan was a really fun guy to hang out with. Surprisingly enough, they had a lot in common. Stefani didn't really think that it was possible because they seemed to be so different but that's when she realized that appearances weren't really anything. There was a lot more to Evan than his good looks and high social status. Stefani enjoyed getting to know him as a person. They seemed to be a good match.
"So, do you want to head back to the party? I'm sure the food should be there soon." Evan said
"Okay, sounds good to me." Stefani said
They walked back to Andrew's house hand and hand. They actually arrived at the same time as the pizza. Andrew smiled and Libby laughed. The girls shared a look as if to say 'We need to talk'. Libby turned to the guys.
"We're going to the bathroom." she said
"Both of you?" Greg asked
"You know how it is. Girls always go to the bathroom in groups." Stefani said
"See Lib, I told you girls are weird." Andrew teased.
"Shut up Andrew." Libby laughed as she walked away with Stefani.
The girls walked past Josie and Libby flashed her a 'Join us' look. Josie nodded and turned to Ryan.
"I gotta pee. I'll be right back." she said
"Tell Libby and Stefani I said what's up." he said
"Poop." Josie muttered as she walked away.
The girls got to the bathroom and they locked the door.
"So, what are we here to discuss?" Josie asked
"How are things going here?" Stefani asked
"Good. Andrew kissed me." Libby said, blushing slightly.
"He kissed you?! Oh my God Lib, that's awesome!" Stefani exclaimed, hugging her.
"Thanks. Oh, you guys he's so cute." Libby sighed
"I know something you's don't know." Stefani said
"What do you know? Tell us right now." Josie demanded
"I'll tell you on one condition." Stefani said
"Deal." Libby and Josie said
"I didn't even say what the condition was yet." Stefani said laughing.
"I'm sure it's a reasonable thing. What is it?" Josie asked
"You can't say or do anything out of the norm." Stefani said
"Um, okay. I'm sure that'll make more sense once we know what you know." Libby said
"Yes, yes it will." Stefani said
"Well, can you tell us before the guys think something happened?" Josie asked
"I just happened to accidentally get some information from Evan." Stefani said
"What??!!" Libby asked impatiently.
"Andrew and Ryan totally dig you guys." Stefani said
"Yes, this is true. You dragged us in here to tell us that?" Josie said
"No, I mean dig as in like!" Stefani said
"Like as in like as in more than friends?" Libby asked
"Yes!" Stefani exclaimed
"No way." Josie said
"Way." Stefani said
"Are you sure? How did you find out?" Libby asked
"Well while Evan and I were discussing the Kameryn situation, he said she usually tries to get all buddy-buddy with whatever girl she knows Andrew and or Ryan like and try to sabotage any potential relationship. And of course I'm like does that mean they like Lib and Josie? And he was like not in so many words but yeah." Stefani explained
"Wow, my sister was actually right. Damn her!" Libby said
"What do you mean your sister was right?" Josie asked
"Last night when I got home from the mall, Delia was there. And you know how nosey my sister is so I had to explain why I went shopping, etcetera. So then she said that if I got personally invited to Andrew's party by Andrew himself and I'm not really super popular he must like me." Libby said
"Wow, who knew Delia actually knew stuff?" Stefani said
"Seriously. I mean, I guess she knows because she was popular at Tremont. But damn her for being right. Cause when she finds out, she'll never shut up about it." Libby said
"Aw, it'll be okay. Think about it this way, you could be Andrew Cooper's new girlfriend soon." Josie said
"Ha. Whatever. Let's go before the guys think we're starting some sort of conspiracy against them." Libby said
The girls left the bathroom and returned to where the guys were standing waiting for them. They all looked at each other expectantly.
"So, how about that pizza? I'm starved." Libby said, breaking the silence.
"Leave it to you to be worrying about food Libby." Josie said shaking her head slightly.
"Can't a girl be hungry?" Libby asked
"Come on hungry girl; let's get some food before there's none left." Aaron said
The six of them walked into Andrew's kitchen where the pizza was. They all sat down and began to serve themselves.
"So Andrew, where are your parents?" Stefani asked
"Visiting my aunt Louise." he said
"And do they know you're having a party?" Josie asked
"Yeah. It was kinda their idea." he replied
"For real? My parents would never suggest me having a party while they were out of town." Libby said
"Well, they didn't really say have a party, they were more like invite a few friends over and order pizza and watch movies." Andrew said
"When are they coming home?" Josie asked
"Sunday." Andrew said
"Oh well that's good. Wouldn't that suck if they decided to come home like tonight?" Libby said
"Yes, that would suck really bad." Andrew said
"Everyone should be leaving soon anyway." Evan said
"Why is that?" Stefani asked
"Because there is some other party tonight that starts at like eleven." Stevie said
"You guys aren't going?" Libby asked
"No. The guy who's having it hates us." Andrew said
"Why?" Josie asked
"He goes to another school. He's on the football team and Ry totally tackled the shit outta him a bunch of games so he will basically try to kill him if he ever sees us in the street." Evan explained
"Wow, that's crazy." Libby said
"That is so typically male." Josie said
"Well excuse us for being male Jo." Ryan said
Josie rolled her eyes and everyone laughed.
"So, when everyone else leaves, do you want us to stay?" Stefani asked
"What time do you have to be home?" Andrew asked
"Um, me and Josie don't have curfews. I can stay out as long as I want as long as I call home to let them know." Libby said
"Yeah and Libby's my ride so when she goes, I go." Josie said
"If anything Jo, I'll drive you home." Ryan said
"Okay, cool thanks." Josie said
"What about you Stef?" Evan asked
"Well, I have to have the kid home by midnight. But I can see if he can get a ride home with one of his friends so I can stay out later." Stefani said
"Yeah, why don't you do that?" Evan asked
"Be right back." Stefani said
She walked through the party until she found her little brother. He was sitting with a bunch of friends, kissing some girl.
"Oh my God David, stop kissing right now!" she yelled
"Hi Stef, what can I do for you?" David asked, obviously embarrassed.
"Can you catch a ride home with like Cameron or something?" she asked
"Why?" he replied
"Because I want to stay past midnight and I don't feel like driving you home then coming back." she said
"Why? So you can hang out with your man Evan?" he asked
"Oh stop trying to be cute in front of your friends David. You don't want me to embarrass you, which I have no problem doing." she said
David turned to his sister and scowled. Then he turned to Cameron.
"Dude, can I catch a ride home with you?" David asked
"Sure thing bro. My mom's coming at eleven. Let me call her and let her know." Cameron said
"Okay. I'll call my mom." David said
"Thanks Dave." Stefani said
"You owe me." David said
"I do not. I still drove you're annoying little butt here. See ya later and no more making out in places where your big sister is. I don't do it to you, don't do it to me." Stefani said
"Yeah, yeah." David muttered
Stefani shook her head and went back to the group. She sat down and smiled.
"So things are cool?" Evan asked
"Yeah. Little brother is shipped off with friend Cameron and I'm in the clear to stay out." Stefani said
"Um, Stef, don't you think you should call your mom? Remember how she flipped last time?" Josie asked
"Yeah true, give me a sec guys." Stefani said
Stefani went off to the corner to call her mom. Surprisingly her mom was cool with not only her not driving David home but also with letting her stay out later. She walked back over to her friends, shaking her head in disbelief.
"She said no?" Libby asked
"No, weirder than that. She said its was cool and to have fun and stay out as long as I want as long as I'm in before sunrise. Girls, I think the pod people have taken over Ellen McAdams's body." Stefani said