Sean

She wasn't texting back.

I tucked my legs below me, curling up into a ball. Was it something I said? Or was it some stupid, careless joke I made that possibly angered her into not returning any of my messages?

She didn't seem like the easily offended type though. Honestly, she would probably laugh it off even if it did hurt her - not that anyone would be heartless enough to do so.

I savored our few encounters dearly. Natia was the barest, most genuine girl I've ever met. Its like she's forgotten to put on her mask like everyone else in the world, stripping herself to the core for all the people in the world to judge. Her innocence and sincerity never failed to catch me off guard. To my surprise, I would forget my own thick, heavy mask too when I was with her.

"She's not going to reply any quicker if you keep drilling holes into your phone screen."

He still sounded venomous as he did last night, when we got drunk and had an argument. I told him, under the de-stressing effect of alcohol, to stop caring so much. Truthfully, it wasn't completely false. I always had been slightly frustrated about how he stayed glued by my side wherever I went, and I found it annoying that I couldn't do anything without him jutting in. That night, when he was fussing over Natia's mistake in the mock examination, he was just unfortunate enough to hear the truth spilling out of my mouth in a rather harsh light.

Noah's unmoving eyes were trained on the soccer players flashing across the television screen, his fingers fiddling with a rubik's cube. Rio was sat next to him, his tongue stuck out in concentration at the sketchbook on his lap. It was lit by a stream of sunlight beaming through the windows, bringing a divine glow to his sketches.

I always found it so calming to watch a person draw. I never had the artistic talent to do such great things, so seeing people building these amazing portraits beneath their brushes was like watching god creating life with his finger tips for me.

On the page was a set of glossy, pursed lips, with the most subtle tilt at the rounded corners. From the flush pink elegance to the drawing, I could see that he was sketching a girl's smile.They were sealed and pulled tightly, yet it holding the smallest trace of sweetness to it - like the syrupy aftertaste to a candy.

I stayed silent, partly because I always liked watching Rio drawing. He always managed to left me astounded at the way his color pencils moved freely across the page, creating life on it as effortlessly as breathing.

"Nothing?" Noah scoffed. "I thought we were better than that. Honestly Sean, I know you've always been big on being the quiet and shy guy, but I've known you for six years now, can you at least give a response that's longer than five words?"

"Really, why can't you just let people in? I'm tired of trying to get inside your head Sean." He turned to me then, locking his eyes on mine.

"I'm tired of always being the one breaking the silence and attempting conversation, I'm done-"

"Then stop trying."

He halted his endless fidgeting with the cube. A blatant look of sadness overcame his face. "Sean-"

"If you're tired, then stop."

He blinked once. There as an undeniable glow of heartbreak in his eyes, and I couldn't bear looking at what I've done. I always knew. Heck, even my dad who was constantly traveling abroad for business knew. The feelings in Noah's eyes were always real and there for literally anyone to see. I've always wanted to find the right time to tell him - appropriately and gently without the bitterness that was hanging between us right now.

I guess there was no delicate way in rejecting anybody.

Even Rio's pencil stopped midway across the page, his fingers rigid from the uncomfortable tension in the air.

"I'm sorry."

He was getting desperate now. "But why not? The least you could do is tell me that."

I stayed silent. I knew how to do advance calculus since middle school; I had no problem with making friends in class; I was trained so well in the past few years in Vet school that I basically had the qualifications for a Veterinary physician. The only thing that turned me helplessly disabled was when I had to talk about my feelings.

"Is it me? Do you not like my personality? Is there something wrong with me that you want me to change, because believe me I can-"

"No."

"Is it because you're not...?"

"That's not the main reason."

"Then what is it?" Noah snapped. He was frustrated, borderline angry right now. His brows were scrunched together as he analyzed me, his expression puzzled. His dark tousled hair was messy as if he'd been pulling at it stressfully for the past hour of sitting in our dorm room, and his eyes were flowing with desperation for an answer.

"I like somebody else."

He laughed exasperatedly. "The girl you just met 2 days ago? Are you joking?"

"No, I'm not. I like her." I played around with the word again. Hearing the words out of my mouth seems grounding, like it was a reality that I wasn't going to be able to escape. I liked her. I liked Natia.

"I don't get you, Sean. I really don't. You fall for a girl who you probably haven't exchanged more than three conversations with. The girl who got Freddie upset over you, the girl who practically don't know you! I've known you for six whole years-" He stressed again.

"And I never liked you that way in those six years."

The silence was deafening. Why couldn't I have phrased that better? That's probably why I didn't speak often- because I never got the words coming out of my mouth correct.

"I'm sorry, Noah." I said a moment after, but he had already turned back to the television, his back to me. A normal person would have explained themselves and tried apologizing again, but the words got stuck midway in my mouth, and I didn't say anything more.

~*~

Natia

It took Ruth forever to take her shots, but she was eventually done and we were heading down the steps of Statue of Liberty.

"Can you- oh my god, this is so good." She said, displaying her pictures to both Ting and I.

"It's amazing." Ting said, staring in awe.

"It's really pretty-" I said.

"Oh look at this one. This one's my favorite!" Ruth exclaimed, I took another look. The sky was impeccably blue and cloudless, and in front of it was a lively crowd, all of them as if standing at the edge of the world. Everyone was absorbed by the amazing view, their cameras perched carefully on the glass frame. I was about to look away when something caught my attention.

There were two people at the corner of the picture. The brunette had a massive smile on her face as she stared at a phone. Beside her was a boy - red cheeked with moist curly hair - and he was slightly bent down so that he could observe the girl closely. His eyes were warm and soft, the look in his eyes attentive. A tingly sensation ran up my arm.

That's him. And that's me.

"It's perfect." I breathed. "Can I have a copy?"

"Absolutely." She beamed proudly. "I'm so glad you love it. I really think this is a special one."

I think so too. I thought. I recalled how his eyes lit up like liquid gold, yet holding a softness to it similar to the gooey consistency of honey. I remembered his laugh- his hearty, brilliant laugh that was capable of lifting any blue mood. I imagined the radiancy that he brought around him like an aura, his charm that never failed to capture hearts, his looks that resembled the face of an angel...

Fake. Aisha's words echoed in my mind. Pretty wrapping paper. Artificial.

It was true. He was a cleanly wrapped gift with a ribbon on top. There was not a single flaw about him that I could judge, and he was - dare I say - perfect.

Perfect isn't normal. A small voice said inside me. I brushed it away.

We arrived ground floor and were walking over to the return boat when I felt a tap on my back. I spun around, and was greeted by a big smile from Aishya.

"Hey!" I said, hugging her fiercely. Ruth and Ting were behind me, standing with polite smiles. I realized with a shock that both of them had no idea of my new friend.

"Ruth! Ting! This is Aishya. We met at the bonding session the other day." They both waved and said hello. 'Aishya, my two awesome teammates.'

"Uh, of course. I met them at the debate the other day." Aishya said, matter-of-factly.

"Oh my god, how could I forget?" I said.

Ruth rolled her eyes and mocked. "Natia, the real question is what do you remember?"

"Oh my god, I love you already." Aishya said, embracing Ruth in a hug. Ruth welcomingly accepted it. Aishya hugged Ting too, and I could sense her going rigid below her touch. Could I blame her? Hong Kong people weren't used to intimidate greetings, especially ones who are transfers from traditional schools.

"Wanna become best friends and laugh at Natia's stupid moments together?" Aishya suggested.

I protested, but Ruth cut me off. "Uh- yeah! Did you know she was doing her makeup the other day-" Aishya gasped horridly. "- I know, and she thought that the mascara was for brows-"

"Oh my god, stop." I shushed her frantically, my cheeks flaming crimson. They all bursted in laughter.

"You have to fill me in on every little detail later, but right now I have a more important question."

Her eyes were lit up in excitement. "But first, are you guys free tonight?"

I looked at both my teammates. They shrugged. "Uh, no. Why?"

Her grin was wide and frenzy now. "Good! Amsyar has a friend in New York City. Yes, I know -" she said at my mock surprise. "-shocking."

"Would you guys like to come? It's like a three stories tall apartment building and basically everyone in the area is invited. The dude hosting it is going all out, and by that I mean he hired a freaking DJ and Chef for the buffet. So-" She paused, catching her breath in the middle of her ecstatic ramble. "Are you guys coming?"

The girls were smiling, their eyes wide with anticipation. I turned back to Aishya. "Heck yeah we are."

The day passed by quickly, and all I could think about was the party tonight. More accurately so, all I could think about was the party where I could see Amsyar again. My excitement died down when I realized that I had nothing to wear.

Ruth dug through her pile of clothes, pulling out bits of fabric from the mess. I curled up into a ball next to the full bodied mirror, watching Ruth frantically attempting to find something for me to wear.

"This?" She indicated the lacy black and red body con dress.

"Too lingerie-y."

"This?" Ruth fished out a glittery green swing dress.

"Too tinkerbell-y."

"Oh! How 'bout this?" She said, drawing out a maxi dress with a black lace up pattern at the back.

"I actually will drown and die in that dress."

"Do you want to find a dress or not? These are your only options here!" Ruth exclaimed, tossing the dresses back into her suitcase in exasperation.

"Maybe not." Ting said. I spun my head around to see Ting digging through her bag of clothing too.

"Ting-" I was about to tell her to don't sweat it. All Ting had for her outfits were blouses, shirts and jeans.

"How about this?" She showcased her option, and my eyes bulged incredulously. It was a cute floral romper, resembling more of a mini dress, and the velvet was painted with swirling crimson flowers. The neck dipped into a darling V-shape, and the thin black shoulder straps added just the right amount of edginess to the outfit.

"That looks gorgeous. Ting, why are you secretly hiding all these gems?"

She blushed. "Mom insisted me to bring this with me. I don't like it all that much though. You can wear it for tonight though - you'll definitely look amazing in it."

"Are you sure? What are you going to wear?"

She shrugged. "Just this." She indicated her white skinny jeans and plain shirt. "I don't feel comfortable in the other stuff."

"Hey, Natia?" She said, fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

"Yeah?"

"Is it bad that I'm a little scared of going to this party? I mean - I'm excited, but I'm think I'm getting a little paranoid."

I scooted closer to her, popping my chin on my knees. "You've got nothing to be scared of. Ruth and I will be at the party too. Just stick with us and we'll have so much fun." I nudged her shoulders playfully. Ting cracked a smile.

"Does this look good?" Both of us rotated our heads to see Ruth fitted into a tight purple dress, wrapping around her thin figure perfectly.

"Yes." We both couldn't have said it quicker.

Ding! The doorbell rang. It must be Aishya ready to pick us up. I sprinted to the bathroom and slipped on the romper as quickly as I could. I heard Aisha's cheerful voice outside, bubbly as she complimented Ruth on her dress and disappointed as she failed to persuade Ting to wear something else.

"I'm ready!" I stepped outside of the bathroom and immediately locked eyes with the most beautiful boy I've ever seen. Amsyar was in a jean jacket, with a maroon undershirt and a pair of slim fitted black jeans.

I broke off the gaze and quickly picked up my purse, leaving the room with the Aishya and Amsyar. It was only when I stepped outside of the room did I realize there were a bunch of unfamiliar faces standing behind Amsyar and Aishya.

"Right, this is Luke," Aishya introduced.

"Yo fam." He said, choking me in a tight hug.

"-Tori-" She smiled, giving my shoulders a light squeeze.

"-Cody-" I approached him with open arms, but he recoiled hesitantly. Tori and Cody laughed as I got rejected by him. I laughed along too.

"-and Monique." I turned to the next person, and was surprised to find out it was the stunning blonde girl from the debate the other day. Why was I surprised at all? Aishya, Amsyar and her were in the same team after all, of course she was going to come to the party too. Of course, of course, of course.

She looked dazzling as a prom queen too, wearing a sequenced golden dress that clung onto her curvy frame. It stopped at about mid-thigh, all the way reflecting light like thousands of stars on her body.

"Hi." I said, still frozen in surprise by her appearance. She pulled her lips into a tight smile, sending me a quick nod of acknowledgement. I guessed that's all I got from the prom queen - a nod.

"And this is Natia, Ruth and Ting-"

"Can we go now? This is getting boring." We all laughed at his lack of patience and headed down the hallway.

The good thing was that Amsyar was walking beside me. The bad news was that he's sandwiched between prom queen and I.

My heart screamed in victory when he chose to talk to me instead. "You look nice."

My heart was basically prancing with joy. I could feel a full blown parade coming along as I internally celebrated my success of catching Amsyar's attention.

You are so hot, was what I wanted to say. And he was - with his charming smile and stylish clothing. "You look...meh."

He held his hand to his heart to mimic a look of hurt. "How dare you. I've been working on this smokey-eye look for half an hour."

I cracked up. Amsyar chuckled. Monique didn't laugh though, which made her all the more model-looking with her perfectly sculpted face.

"You know what would make your look even better?"

"What?" I was grinning. I knew what he was going to say.

"A piece of fresh g-"

"-green lettuce. HA! I knew it. Your jokes are getting repetitive, my friend." I shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, but if you wanna be my friend, you've gotta step up your game."

"Then...then..." He was scratching his head, his eyes hopeful. "Am I at least on the waitlist?"

I considered it for a moment, putting a finger to my lips. "Mhm..."

"Yeah fine, you're on the waitlist."

"YES! I knew I made it." He exclaimed, jumping up in mario style. I began giggling uncontrollably.

"I'd like to thank my mother for always believing in me. My father for always standing by my side when times got difficult-"

I was tearing up. "Oh my god, stop. You're making me cry."

"People are staring. Shh." Monique frowned. I looked around the quiet streets of New York City, and sure enough some old lady was giving us the stink eye.

"I'M SO SORRY MISS-" Amysar hollered, and I had to slap his arm a few times hard before he stopped. I was laughing so hard that nothing came out of my mouth as I doubled over. I couldn't help but wonder how he would act drunk, seeing that he was already acting drunk when completely sober.

It was obvious where the party was at. The building was lit brightly with flashing lights, pouring out through the windows onto the quiet streets. The music was muffled from our position, and as we grew closer I could vaguely make out the lyrics of the song bursting from the building.

"Girlfriend?" I murmured under my breath, horrified by the music choice.

"Oh my god, I love this. This is my jam." Luke clutched Cody's arm tightly. Cody wasn't at all bothered by his excitement.

"Hey, hey, you, you..." I gave Amsyar a look. He was biting down on his lower lip to suppress his laughter.

"The guy hired a DJ for this?" I asked in disbelief.

"Hey! No discrimination against Avril. I practically idolized her in my middle school years." Amysar said.

I raised my hands up in defense. "No discrimination intended. Love my girl Avril. She's awesome. Especially 'Girlfriend', oh my god its absolutely the best-"

He pushed me away playfully, his hand on the top of my head. I stumbled a few steps away, but returned by his side like a magnet a moment later.

We arrived at the doorstep. Amsyar knocked, and the door swung open, revealing a boy who couldn't be much older than us. In fact, he looked like he belonged in Freshman year. He had a face of a twelve year old, his eyes round and large, his nose slightly pudgy. Yet he was towering over all of us in his lanky frame, swaying unsteadily as if he still hadn't got used to his extreme height since his growth spurt hit.

"Amsyar, buddy!" "Ronli!" They both yelled, wrapping each other with one arm in one of those bro-hugs.

Ronli scanned the large group of people behind Amsyar. "Oh and you brought friends! That's awesome, oh and you-" He said, planting his eyes on me. "-are so cute. How old are you?"

I blinked. I looked at Amsyar to say is this guy serious.

"I'm...sixteen?"

He gasped. "Oh my god, you are so tiny. I'm sorry, here here. Come in."

He ushered us inside, and we were greeted by the loud, intense voice of Avril Lagvine blaring through the speakers. Everyone here was at least a head taller than me, holding sloshing cups of beer as they swayed to the music. All the girls were caked with flawless, gleaming makeup, and the way they sashayed their hips were enough to make all the boys standing at the doorway to gawk with lust.

"Hey." Amsyar must've seen the sour look on my face. "You might be tiny, but you're definitely hot to me."

My eyes widened. I was starting to doubt whether he was drunk or not.

I didn't know how to respond. My heart pounded furiously, and my lips were parted as they hung open in shock. I was grateful and simultaneously irritated when Aishya tore me away from Amsyar, pulling me into the dance floor along with Ting, Ruth and Tori. I began jumping awkwardly, frantically attempting to keep my hands away from the breasts and buttocks around me while jamming out to the horrible music. I searched the crowd for Amsyar, and spotted him just a few people behind Aishya. When I hopped up the second time, he was gone.

I was moving to the music, but I wasn't feeling it. It's like I was out of my body, and that I was looking at the party from the outside. I peered around a few more times, wondering where Amsyar was.

As if right on cue, I felt a strong grip on my wrist. I shrieked at the abruptness, but instantly recognized who's hand it was. It was the same hand that had held mine at the debate, the same rough calloused, yet slender fingers that I remembered.

"What are you doing?"

"CHEERING YOU UP." He yelled over the music.

Once we reach the food table, he instantly went for the red solo cups. He began pouring in a good amount of the brownish-yellow liquid into the two cups, and I inhaled sharply at the disgusting stench of alcohol.

"Chug off, my tiny friend." He said, handing me a cup and holding one for himself in the his hand. I stared at the sloshing fluid and imagined draining this sewage water down my throat. I winced at the thought.

His expression changed. "What's wrong?"

"I-I-" How was I supposed to explain this? Oh screw it. I held the cup to my lips and tilted my head back. If I was going to try alcohol for the first time, it might as well be with Amsyar at a party in the greatest city in the world.

"Wait-" He said, holding the cup just in time before the liquid hits my tongue. 'Don't tell me you've never had alcohol before.'

I shrugged, smiling weakly. "I guess I've never...?"

His mouth hung in an 'O' shape, his eyes filled with disbelief. "I mean," I tried explaining myself. "If you live in my household, you'll totally understand how strict my parents are. No alcohol before eighteen. No touching hands with a boy until university. No kissing until married-"

"Are you serious?" He asked, incredulous.

"No, I'm messing with you." I laughed. He didn't find it funny. "But the first part was true. I'm not allowed to drink before eighteen."

He was still staring at me as if I had just sprouted a second head. "B-but of course I don't have to listen to them. They're a thousand miles away after all, it doesn't matter-" I lifted the cup to my lips again.

"No, don't." He said, stealing the cup away from my grasp. He chucked his beer and mine away into the bin, the brown content splashing all over the black plastic bag.

"I don't want you getting into trouble." He said, his tone serious. Since when had Amsyar ever been serious before?

"Of course, and I want to make a good impression on your parents too." He added, winking. Now this seemed more liked the Amsyar I knew.

"Ha.Ha. Very funny." I said. "So...what now?"

He leaned back on the table, observing the frenzy of the crowd. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not going to have any fun without the booze, now am I?"

He placed a hand on my head as if I was his daughter. He looked at me, his eyes unmoving and entirely free from the influence of alcohol. I was relieved to see someone as sober as me.

"Natia, I'm all the fun you need." I rolled my eyes at his comment, a smile surfacing on my cheeks.

"I'm serious! I'll teach you to have fun without alcohol, okay? I'll even sacrifice my own drinking privilege for you. See? That's how great of a teacher I am. Okay? Okay. You're welcome." I giggled at his own little back and forth conversation.

"Now tell me one important thing first."

"Yes?"

"Have you even been to a party before? Answer me honestly." His eyes were wide with sincerity. At the moment he seemed fully there. No wrapping paper, no ribbon on top, just 100% Amsyar.

I blushed. "I've been to birthday parties-"

"Birthday parties, tea party, sleepover parties excluded. Natia, how many parties have you been to?"

I shrugged again, and his eyes gleamed mischievously. "My tiny friend, be prepared for the best night of your life."

~*~

Author's notes: Whew! Long chapter right there! Thank you for staying with me till the end of the chapter! It would mean the world to me if you could kindly leave some constructive criticism, or do some voting to support me(shameless promoting i know i know I'm sorry). Have a nice day!xx

Ps. Go check out groupiest ! She has an amazing story out and I'm currently hooked :)

- Jaeanne