"Hey, look at what I have!"

"What?" Taylor peered curiously at his older brother.

"A flyer." Isaac held a flyer party notice in his hand.

"You can't have a flyer party! MTV will kill us!"

"No, stupid. I have the directions to one. Besides, MTV goes nuts for this type of out of character crazy shit."

"Do you think the girls will like it?"

"They should. They need to get out and mingle with Tulsa." Isaac grinned. "C'mon Tay, I don't know anyone who doesn't appreciate a good party."

Eriqa stared with wide eyes. "What's it like?"

"It's just like a regular party, it's just that anyone can come. There aren't invitation restrictions." Isaac explained.

"I don't know, are there drugs, and alcohol?" Tiffany whispered hesitantly.

"Probably."

"Well then I'm not going." She said suddenly.

"What? Why not?"

"I don't want to be around that stuff. I've had bad experiences with alcohol and drugs. I don't want to be within a 10 foot radius of any of it."

"Just because it's there doesn't mean you have to use it." Taylor said.

"I don't want to be anywhere those things are, and that's final." Tiffany turned and softly walked from the room.

"Are we allowed to go? If not all of us go?" Zac asked. He hadn't been to a good party for a long time. He was ready to go out, meet some girls, get a little wasted, and have a little fun.

Isaac shook his head solemnly. "I don't think so."

"I'll talk to her." With that Chelsea exited the room.

"Give it up, Chels. I don't want to go."

"Why?"

"What does it matter to you? Why don't you tell me why you want to go. Oh wait, I already know. He's sitting in the other room."

"Hey, wait a minute. So what if my motives are a bit self-centered? So what if I'm completely infatuated with him? What's wrong with that? What's wrong with it?"

Tiffany rolled her eyes. "Oh, nothing."

"Why are you being so selfish?"

"ME? I am not!"

"Yes you are. You know I like him. This is a chance for me to spend some time with him. A chance for me to see what he's really like. But because of you I won't get that chance. And I call that selfish." Chelsea stood, her fists clenched.

"Well I don't. I call you asking me to sacrifice my beliefs and my choices for your personal fetish!" Tiffany's voice rose with every word.

"I don't even understand what your problem is." Chelsea sighed.

"My friend got drunk."

"So? Everyone gets wasted at one point in her life."

"She was raped…while she was drunk." Chelsea's jaw dropped open. "And my cousin over-dosed on drugs."

Chelsea sat down. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. And I want you to know that I understand and respect your decisions. But just because something is there doesn't mean you have to take it. It's easy to say no, and despite what those stupid health classes tell you, the people you say 'no' to respect your wishes. They won't pressure you."

"I'm just…I'm afraid of the temptation."

"Don't be. If you're really set on your decisions then you won't be tempted, at least not enough to make you actually try stuff. Just please, I want this. Everyone else wants to go. Just…think about it." Tiffany nodded. "And I'm sorry about your friend and your cousin. I really, really am."

"I'll be holding everyone else up. I'll be ruining everyone's fun." Tiffany stood in front of a mirror. "I shouldn't even be here. I'm not pretty; I'm not that nice, or likable. I don't know why I'm here, with Hanson. They should be with someone much cooler than I am." She looked at her skin. It was a light milk chocolate, smooth and delicate like silk. To her, it was flawed. A horrid mask hiding insecurities. She looked at her pocketknife on the table. "Just a little. It'll make me feel better." She held up the tool, shimmering in the light. Holding the tip softly against her wrist she began to draw a small line.

"What are you doing?"

"What?" Tiffany dropped the knife to the floor to find Zac standing in the doorway. "Nothing. It was nothing. Just looking at a knife my brother gave me."

"Then why are you bleeding?" He walked over and grabbed her wrist.

"I dropped it, I'm such a klutz sometimes." She stammered. He didn't believe her.

"Don't do this to yourself." He pointed to the cut. "I don't know what's bothering you, but please, don't do that."

The hardness in his eyes and voice set her off. "What does it matter to you anyway? It's my life! Why don't you just leave!"

"It's my room, too!" He said softly.

"What? You can't deal with blood? You can't deal with the fact that you're sharing a room with someone who has some problems? Is that it?"

"No. That's not what I meant. We all have problems. We all…"

"We're all a little bit weird right?"

"That's not what I was going to say but…yeah, I guess."

"You don't like me do you." She said, accusingly.

"I do. You're a wonderful person."

"Don't lie! I'm ugly. I'm worthless!" She burst into tears. He reached out to hold her, but she threw his aside. "Don't touch me unless you care. And I know you don't." She ran out of the room.

Eriqa timidly walked in to the room. Zac sat on his bed, quietly writing. "Hey."

He turned around, slowly. "Hey."

"Tiff's gonna sleep with Chels tonight. I just came to get her stuff, then I'll bring mine in."

"Okay."

"Hey, Zac?" She sat next to him. "What was she doing? She won't tell us. She said that you yelled at her for getting the room messy."

Zac stared at the floor. "She was, well, she was cutting herself."

"On the wrists?"

"Yeah."

"Zac?"

"What?"

"It's not your fault. Don't worry about it." She hugged him. "She's just having trouble adjusting. It's been a tough day. Some painful memories were brought back today."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't tell Ike or Tay, but her friend was raped, while drunk, and her cousin O.D.'d on drugs. That's why she doesn't want to have anything to do with them."

"For Christ's sake, this is Oklahoma. People are good here. We're not perfect and we do shit, but we're not like that."

"That's not the point. It's hard for her. So I think we shouldn't go to the party."

Zac nodded. "You're probably right." She patted his back and gathered Tiffany's things.