"So what's it gonna be?" Isaac stared across the table. Tiffany stared at a wall, Chelsea munched quietly on some Cap'n Crunch. Taylor twiddled his thumbs while Eriqa and Zac sat quietly next to one another.

"I'll go." Tiffany said, barely audible.

"Huh?"

"I said I'll go. It's not fair for me to hold you all back just because I don't want to go."

"But your feelings are important too. We won't put you in a position for you to sacrifice what you believe." Zac said.

"No, I want to go."

"No you don't."

"Yes. I want to meet people. I realize that parties and the things at parties are just a part of life. I want to go. I need to learn to deal with it." Tiffany and Chelsea exchanged small smiles.

Isaac didn't have a clue what was going on, but it wasn't like he cared. "Zac? Eriqa? Tay? Everything all cool with you guys?"

Tay nodded, and Eriqa and Zac mumbled in awe. "Yeah, we'll go."

"Okay. It starts at 9:00, just so everyone knows. Don't get too dressed up, and we need a designated driver."

Zac grinned. "I will!"

"Ha ha, I don't have a death wish, and therefore you won't be allowed anywhere near the driver's seat." Isaac smirked, Zac pouted.

"I will." Eriqa volunteered. "I've never had much of a taste for alcohol anyway."

"Alright." Isaac got up and left.

"So what do we do until 9?" Taylor asked.

Chelsea grinned. "We could go swimming."

"NO! NO! NO!" Eriqa screamed as Zac dunked her under the water again. "Zac stop it. If you do this again I swear I-" He laughed and pushed her under. "That is it! Blondie, you're gonna die!"

Zac laughed. "You're blonde too." She fumed and attempted to push his head under the water.

"Dammit!" She screeched.

Zac continued to laugh. "I can touch, ya' know."

"I hate being short." She began to swim away from him but he caught her by the ankle.

"Hey, Tay! C'mon, I got her!"

"Oh my god! Let me go! You little shit!"

Chelsea and Tiffany, tanning quietly on the side laughed.

"You wouldn't be laughing if it happened to you." Eriqa screamed.

"It wouldn't be happening to me." Chelsea said, smugly.

"Oh yeah?" Zac let go of Eriqa and swam to the edge of the pool.

"Zac, if you touch me I will kick your sack so hard…"

"Okay, that's enough said." He turned around and jumped back into the pool.

"You wuss!"

"She said she was going to kick my nuts!"

"So."

"Well, it'd hurt!"

"It wouldn't hurt me."

Zac glared at her. "Fine. What if she said she would kick your boobs!"

"I don't think she could kick that high."

Zac laughed. "You wanna bet?" Chelsea said, smiling and sipping a soda next to Taylor.

"Are you going to go swimming?" Chels turned her attentions to Taylor.

"I don't know, probably. As soon as they stop flirting."

"You'd think she'd manage to control herself. As sexy as Zac is," her voice oozing with sarcasm, Chelsea rolled her eyes. "She has a boyfriend."

Taylor's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. "She does?"

Tiffany glanced over and saw Taylor's expression. "Is it really so amazing? I mean, she's cute. Does it matter anyway?"

"Well it doesn't to me but," Taylor stammered over words. "It might to Zac."

"Aww Tay, Zac's a big boy. I'm sure he can look out for himself." Chelsea cooed. "Now let's go swim."

"What am I going to wear?" Chelsea threw about 12 red tops on the bed and 3 red dresses.

"Red much?" Tiffany laughed.

"Come on, it's his favorite color."

"Right, right. Okay, wear that dark red tank top with black pants."

"Pants? Won't I get hot?"

"Maybe, but isn't it more important for you to look hot?" Tiff giggled as she pulled a lavender slip dress on and slipped into some white sandles.

Chelsea laughed. "What would I do without you? Always lookin' out for me."

"You'd probably end up wearing that ugly red-orange dress you're looking at right now."

Chelsea frowned. "My last boyfriend loved that dress."

"Your last boyfriend wasn't Taylor, was he?"

"No. Just a look-a-like named Jordan."

"Oh my God, it's loud." Eriqa covered her ears.

"You should hear the screaming at a concert. About 3 times worse." Taylor walked beside her.

"Remember, you're the designated one. No drinking!" Isaac looked at her strictly before running up to the house and disappearing.

"How will we find everybody when we leave?"

"Let's just meet out here at 3. I'll find Ike and let him know." Taylor smiled and then, he too, disappeared into the house.

"Well Zac, looks like you're all we have left."

Zac grinned. "Yep." He extended his hand to Tiffany, who shrank away. "Well fine." He then grabbed Eriqa and Chelsea's hand and walked into the house.

"Hey! Wait up!" And Tiffany joined the party.

"If you had my love, and I gave you all my trus-T would you com-fart me, tell me BAY-BEE!" Chelsea laughed. "Oh my god! This is so much fun!" Chelsea had hit the drinks early, along with Isaac, and now the two of them were leading the other drunks in a conga line progression.

Zac, sober enough to remember everything, drunk enough to be doing everything tied his shirt around his forehead and proceeded with his version of "Can I get A..."

"People are so funny when they're drunk." Eriqa smiled at Tiffany, who sat on the opposite side of the couch staring at a couple making out.

"Hey, um…I'm going to go find a bathroom. I'll be right back." Tiffany made a motion with her hand and mumbled something.

"Hey!" Taylor nearly ran right into Eriqa.

"Oh hey Eriqa." He looked sober, at least reasonably close.

"Where's the bathroom?"

He laughed. "There's one down the hall and one upstairs. The upstairs is an orgy, pot fest and there's a line in the other one. People waiting to puke." He grinned. "Good luck."

"Shit. I gotta pee!"

He laughed at her again. "Where's Tiff?"

"In the living room, on a couch."

"A couch?" He grinned.

"You're a pervert when you're drunk." She laughed.

He looked shocked. "I'm not drunk. I'm not perverted either, just little turned on." Then he smiled.

"Yeah?" Raising an eyebrow.

"But your boyfriend doesn't know, does he?" Taylor stood close to her. His fingers tenatively reaching towards the light-green fabric of her tank top.

"No, he doesn't. But there's not going to be anything that I wouldn't tell him."

He reached towards her black skirt and breathed softly on her ear, "Are you sure? It could be our little secret."

She smacked his hand. "I'm sure."

"Hey Tiff." Taylor smiled at her, a milk shake in hand.

"Hi."

"You okay?"

She pointed towards a couple. They were tearing off one another's clothes and kissing passionately. "Are they together?"

"Yeah. Don't worry. No rapists here." He smiled. "Want a milkshake?"

"Is it spiked?"

"What?"

"Is it spiked?" She said it a little louder.

"Huh?"

"Is there alcohol in it?" She pointed at the cup and screamed.

"Oh." He laughed. "Nah."

She looked at it, hesitant. "Thanks." She smiled at took a drink.

Taylor kissed Tiffany again this time finding his fingers sliding her dress off a little further, so that it's entirety was clumped against her waist.

"Taylor?"

"Hmm?"

"Shouldn't we go."

"Nope."

"Okay."

He moved against her and groaned. He licked at her collarbone and drew her legs around his waist.

"What the fuck!"

"Huh?" Taylor, confused turned around.

"Taylor Hanson, you get away from her right now!" Eriqa stood in the door.

"Eriqa, hey, wanna join?" He grinned.

"No. You asshole! How many drinks did you give her?"

"She didn't drink." He giggled. "It was just milkshakes."

"How many!" She demanded.

"She had about 4 and I had 3."

Eriqa stormed to the couch and threw Taylor's shirt at him. "Tiff?"

"What?" Her eyes were dazed and her voice dreamy.

"Put your dress back on." Tiffany pulled clumsily at the straps, and finally Eriqa grabbed the dress and pulled it back onto her. She let Tiffany lean against her and grabbed Taylor by the hand. "We're leaving."


2nd Interviews