**** People and people, I give you the moment you may have been waiting for..... the party!! I hope you enjoy ^,^ it's taken me forever to write this jeez. ****

I was bouncing in my seat, tapping my fingers so fast I could feel each of them cramp up. My organs were kicking each other, my heart was pulling away from everything else and my lungs were trying to see how small they could get.

This was torture. We were driving to the party, and now more than anything I wanted to run away and hide. I didn't want to go, I didn't want to see Ronnie, I didn't want to-

Please, you're acting like Ronnie would even come to this. He knows you'll be here, he wouldn't be caught dead at this party.

True...?

Yes. You're psyching yourself out, there's nothing to worry about.

Ronnie won't be there, Diablo shouldn't even know about it, He-John's in jail, August doesn't care to come check on you. You're safe, no one to scare you or surprise you or inhibit you from going bat shit wild tonight.

You can do whatever the fuck you want, because you'll be surrounded by friends and otherwise people you might not care about what they think of you. You're okay...

"I'm okay, I'm okay" I mumble to myself, fiddling with my fingers and breathing deeply, in, out, in, out.

I was lucky Leah was driving and Luna was riding shotgun helping her find the right banquet hall for the hotel.

I closed my eyes and leaned against the window, trying to calm my crazed heart. I had nothing to worry about.

When we finally got there, we were still an hour early, just to make sure everything was sorted and ready.

I went straight to the bar, pointing to the vodka. The bartender raised his eyebrows, checked his watch, and looked at me before shrugging and pouring some vodka in a glass. I got a cherry and plopped it on top before sitting down and playing with the glass, swinging it back and forth.

Fuck, I need to calm down.

I listened to the steady swishing clink of the ice hitting the glass, trying to breathe to the same beat. I focused on nothing else, and eventually I had calmed down somewhat.

I hadn't even taken a drink, and the guests were already arriving. I quickly ate cherry and slammed the vodka, exhaling and sticking my tongue out to help after swallowing it all at once.

Who needs a chaser?

I shook my head out and stood up, stretching nervously before going to find someone I knew.

I grabbed a drink off a table and downed it, barely even tasting it before the kick.

I just needed to loosen up, then I'd be fine. It didn't matter, just a few more drinks....

I took another, shoving it down my throat before leaving it on a tray.

It was Leah's idea to hire out fancy butler-like staff. I felt awkward looking at them, like I should be serving others with them, not being served by them.

I had gone through enough booze that the servers were actively moving across tables to avoid me.

By now I was a bit dizzy, a bit pissed, but I could still think relatively clearly. I was too scared to get shit - faced drunk. I didn't want to ruin Esha's party and risk causing a scene or anything.

Speaking of Esha, where was she? She's missing her own party.....

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before walking over to the dance floor.

Slipping through people, I felt way more of people than I would've liked, but I was saved by a hand latching onto my arm, pulling me to a more open part of the dance floor, where the arm was attached to a body.

"Thanks Ashley" I muttered, giving him a relieved grin. He just laughed and nodded to the corner, where I noticed two bodies.

At first I thought they were making out, but when I looked closer I noticed it was Esha and Andy, and they were dancing.

Their faces were close, and they were dancing against each other in ways I was almost jealous of - the way they were moving was simultaneously intimate and sensual.

I turned away to talk to Ashley, but quickly laughed when I saw him and Alicia Vigil dancing, in a bit of a different way.

I chuckled to myself and shoved through the dancing people to where I could breathe again. I walked out of the party to the hotel lobby, taking deep breaths and leaning against the wall.

My eyes were closed, so it was no surprise when someone snuck up on me. I jumped in surprise, and opened my eyes. I'd rather I hadn't.

Diablo was standing there sneering at me, his eyes trapping me in a disgusted flood of repulsion and fear and annoyance.

"Get off me you twat" I said, pulling my arm away from him. He tightened his grip, and I got a flashback of Vegas where I let him push me around.

I wouldn't let it happen again, I owed him nothing.

"Let go!" I said, louder this time, pulling more desperately away from him. I felt my arm already bruising, and just in time for this party. Fuck.

As a last resort, feeling his nasty eyes on me, I pulled my free arm back before letting it swing right into his face.

It's been a few months, but I've still got my right hook down. I smirk a little, shaking my arm out.

But it didn't take care of the problem, and now Diablo was holding his jaw and glaring at me, his eyes screaming murder.

I shrunk back instinctively as he got closer, cradling my sore fist to my chest.

But then there was a hand on his shoulder, and when he turned around it was him shrinking back.

It happened kind of fast, but Diablo got a punch to the gut before he ran out, sending me an agressive glare, which I returned with a disdainful eye roll and scowl.

I turned to see, to my surprise, Craig Mabbitt looking at me.

"You okay?" He asked, and I nodded.

"Uh, yeah, thanks" I said to him, rubbing my fist to soothe the shooting pain.

Goddamn Diablo with his hard ass face.

"Sure, it's nice to see you punching someone other than me for a change" Craig said, laughing a little before walking into the party.

Did I just have a moment with Craig that didn't involve insults or violence? Holy shit maybe I am drunk.... it felt kind of nice though, not holding onto the rage that usually consumed me. I felt rather freed.

I started to walk, moving to get to where Luna and Max were sitting.

I walked over, grinning and sending them a wave before being tugged abruptly. I stumbled, nearly falling, and I looked to see Leah pulling me to one of the raised stages, where there were strobe lights and glow sticks.

I shook my head, managing to grab a glass of some unnaturally colored fruity drink and down it before she got me up there.

She pulled me up and smacked my butt before cheering and beginning to dance.

It felt almost nostalgic to be up on a stage with Leah again, though both of us with much more clothes on, thankfully.

I attempted to pull down my super tight dress and sent her a wink, closing my eyes to feel the music before beginning to dance. My platform boots hitting the floor rung loudly, almost like an echo of the song's beat.

I could feel Leah next to me, dancing much faster than me, but I didn't care one bit, I began rotating my hips and moving my arms around my head.

I felt lots of eyes on me, but I brushed it off. I had perfected ignoring the creepy, and/or prodding eyes.

After a while, I felt a pair of eyes on me that felt different. I couldn't ignore it. I could almost see it coming closer and closer to me.

I opened my eyes to find myself staring right into his.

Ronnie.