It was done.

I'd done it.

Voilà.

The picture book had been wrapped in sparkly red paper, card included beneath a bright green bow.

Finished.

Perfect.

Xander's Secret Santa was officially done, and I was beyond pleased with the way it had turned out.

I'd even received Roman's seal of approval, as I flipped through the pages of the book, showing him each page that I'd written and illustrated over one of our Skype sessions.

"Shit, Thal," he'd exclaimed. "Damn, he's gonna love it."

"You really think so?" I'd asked hopefully. A lot of work had gone into it; from the illustrations themselves to finding the perfect pictures from my friends, I could only hope that Xander would be able to see just how much I cared; how I wanted him to be happy.

Roman nodded with wide hazel eyes. "Oh yeah," he said, making me smile even more. "You're probably going to make him cry," he teased. "And if he actually does, you'vegot to take pictures."

And now, here I was -- it was December 31st and all of my blood, sweat, secrecy and tears had paid off. My gift to Xander was finished, and it was time for me to surprise him with it at Eliza's party.

I tucked all of the photos I had been loaned by Mischa and Tucker into their respective envelopes, sitting each on top of Xander's wrapped gift so that I wouldn forget them that night.

One task down.

Now, onto another.

I scrolled through my texts, rereading the message Eliza had sent me just the night before:

EA - So Mom and I are baking at 3:00. You can meet us at the Bev. Hills house at like, 4? I won't start decorating until you get here! Mwuah! Love you and thankkkk yoooooouuuuuu. :-*

Exiting from my messages, I checked the time on my phone. It was already three.

Looking down at my pajama-clad body, I stuck my phone on the charger and headed to my bathroom. I had a long day to get ready for.

~*~

"Isn't it amazing?" Eliza asked, arms stretched wide as she twirled through the foyer.

"Umm, yes," I replied. I mean, it was huge--like, gigantic. Like, two of the Delta Tau Delta brother's frat house could fit in the mansion the Artinian's had rented in Beverly Hills.

"God, can we live here one day?" I asked. "Can I raise my kids here?"

Eliza stopped twirling to grin at me. "I can see it, now," she nodded. "A bunch of little Roman and Thalia's running around here." She giggled as I slapped her playfully. "That'll be a beautiful day."

"Very funny," I grinned.

"Ah, you know I kid," she beamed, leading me again towards the kitchen. "But, I don't think you're too opposed to the idea."

To that, I said nothing. I knew she'd probably tease me if I told her how I actually felt. And if she told April, I knew I was a goner.

"So, what time did you guys get here?" I asked, as men in white jumpsuits stacked chairs and set up tables throughout the house. "

Like, nine," Eliza shrugged.

"Eew, that's early."

"Exactly," she replied. "That's why I'm so glad you're here. We've still got the pastries to decorate and the living room to set up, so with the extra hands we'll be done in no time."

I nodded. That, I could handle.

And I followed Eliza around a corner and into the open arms of her mother.

I walked directly into her boobs.

"Thalia!" Angelina exclaimed, Middle-Eastern accent thick as she wrapped me up in her sweater, lingering spices and long, curly black hair. "Thalia, my rose! You're here!"

"Yes," I gasped, because Angelina's hugs were sure to cut the air off from your lungs. "I--I am."

Angelina laughed aloud, bringing her hands to my shoulders as I caught my breath. "Are you excited for tonight, my darling?"

"Absolutely," I replied honestly. "Who am I to miss one of your parties?"

"Well, curl my tail and paint me pink: it's Thalia!"

I turned, knowing exactly who that voice belonged to. I smiled politely as Jeff lead a worker through the sliding door of the kitchen.

"Hi, Jeff," I replied with wave.

Jeff crossed the floor and swept me up into another hug. My feet dangled in the air. "How is my Thalia-Walia-Gumdrop?" He asked.

Again, I choked, "Fine."

"Beautiful," Jeff beamed, his brown eyes crinkling happily as he finally let go of me, stroking his bushy brown beard.

For a long time, I thought he was a lumberjack. And knowing Jeff, if he suddenly told me that he was, I wouldn't bat an eye. He'd be the friendliest Canadian lumberjack the world would ever know. As a matter of fact, he'd probably be so friendly, he'd apologize to each tree he cut down and plant new ones in their places.

Because that was Jeff, and as my mom liked to say, Jeff was 'quite the character.'

"So, Thalia, I hear you're here for the easy work," he said, placing his gigantic hands on narrow hips. "I heard you girls were going to finish the pastry preparations, am I right, Sugarlump?"

Eliza nodded. "Yes, Jeff," she replied. "And if you and mom don't mind..." she shooed her parents toward the door. "We'd like to get started. Alone."

Eliza's biological dad had died when she was a baby, and Angelina had remarried Jeffrey Artinian when she was five. And even though Jeff had formally adopted Eliza as his own, and she and her mother had taken his last name, Eliza's name for her father was, and had always been, "Jeff."

And he found absolutely nothing wrong with that.

What can I say? It was just how the Artinian's rolled.

"Well," Angelina huffed, "what if I wanted to stay, Eliza? Penny called; the boys are nearly here. What if I wanted to catch up with you girls?"

"Ugh, Mom," Eliza sighed, rolling her eyes. "Thal and I have things to discuss."

"Perfect," her mother smiled, making herself comfortable, elbows on the marble countertop. "I love girl talk. What's going on, Thal?"

"Well--"

"Don't answer that," Eliza snapped.

"Mom," she sighed, as if she were sixteen again, "please?"

"Well, alrighty-rooster," Jeff nodded, taking Angelina by her shoulders and guiding her towards the door.

"But--"

"C'mon, Ballerina," Jeff coaxed. "Let the girls have their fun time."

I cringed at the decidedly poor word choice. "Fun time?"

"Just," Eliza sighed, staring at the ceiling, "just ignore it, Thal."

"Okay..."

"Yeah. Just be silent. Maybe they'll leave."

"Heard that!" Angelina called over her shoulder.

"Love you!"

Jeff clapped his hands in the doorway. "Enjoy, girls," he announced. "When you're done, I'll see if there's any other awesome-possum task for you to prep, fair enough?"

"Okay," I called.

"Sure, fine, whatever. Goodbye," Eliza said, turning to the blank sugar cookies, vanilla and chocolate cupcakes cooling across the counter.

"Eliza," Jeff warned, "aren't you too old for me to scold you about your tone?"

She blew him an exxagerated kiss. "Love you, too!"

"Alright," Jeff smiled, satisfied. "Better."

And he dissappeared down the hallway.

Eliza turned back to me with a groan. "So, anyway," she began, grabbing a bag of red frosting, "how was Xander last night? You have fun?"

"I did," I nodded, smiling to myself, because I had.

But, I shook my head as Eliza peered at me through thick black eyelashes.

"Look, I know what you're going to say, and we're just friends, okay?" I already took that crap from April.

Eliza shrugged, piping the cupcakes before her. "I didn't say anything, Thal," she whisled softly. "Nothing at all."

I groaned, because none of my friends spent the time that I had with Xander in the garage. They didn't know about his mom's death, or the relentless teasing he endured from his older brothers. Xander was a big, soft, occasionally flirtatious Teddy Bear who dressed well, could fix anything, and had, over time, started to wear me down as a permament fixture in my life.

And the more I thought about it, no one really knew that but Xander and me.

I guess I didn't really expect anyone else to understand.

So, I switched the subject.

"Hey," I said, piping red noses on the reindeer shaped sugar cookies, "did you ever talk to Jamie last night?"

Eliza's jaw fell. "Umm, yes. Thal!" she exclaimed, dropping her icing bag onto the counter, "And aside from being completely shocked, I was a little damn hurt."

"Why?"

"Why?" Eliza llet out a sharp bark of laughter. "Thal, my best friend doesn't tell me she's got a secret boyfriend and I'm supposed to be okay with that?"

"Well," I said, "then it wouldn't have been a secret."

"Oh, fuck off, Thalia," Eliza snapped.

I shrugged. "She didn't want Nikita to know, Liz."

"Since when am I Nikita?"

Since when were any of us?

"Eliza," I began, "you know that you wouldn't have been able to keep a secret as big as that to yourself," I snorted, turning back to the cookies. "I didn't meet you yesterday."

"Yeah, but--but," she shook her head, sputtering, "but, so fuckin' what?"

I sighed loudly. Knowing Eliza, I was near positive that she would have never been able to keep Jamie's relationship a secret in high school, especially considering Peter's death and Nikita's strict warning against befriending the boys. I mean, Eliza practically said it herself: she wasn't nearly as friendly back then as she is now, even if she wanted to be.

There would have been no way 'Jamison' would have remained a secret if Eliza had been involved.

And I told her just that.

"Whatever," Eliza huffed.

"At least she told you, now," I said lightly, moving fairly quickly with the cookies across the counter. "Cat's out of the bag."

"Right," she sighed, turning bak to the pastries.

I could only imagine what Mischa would say when she found out, if she hadn't already.

I didn't want to know what Nikita would say.

"Hey, Thal?"

"Hmm?"

Eliza squeezed icing on a new cupcake. "D'you think she still likes him?"

I looked up from my cookies. I could only think back to Jamie's exchange with Jason outside of her house. There was no way she didn't still feel something for him.

Yes, I could have said.

I didn't.

"Do you?"

Eliza put her bag back on the counter, dark hair spilling down her back as she groaned, face angled to the ceiling. "I don't know, Thal," she squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't know...yes?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

Eliza's eyes darted from the cupcakes. "Do you?"

I nodded, again. "Yeah. I mean, it's natural, right? To still have at least a few lingering feelings for an ex?"

Except in Jamison's case, the remaining feelings seemed to total more than just a 'few.'

Eliza licked icing from between her fingers. "I think that depends on how the relationship ends."

"Definitely," I agreed softly. Because, although Jordan's smile still made a few butterflies flutter about my ribs, he didn't hold a fucking candle to Roman.

Dang it!

I really needed to stop cursing.

"But, I mean," Eliza said, "I don't know. Jason broke up with her, remember?"

"Yeah," I agreed, because that part of the story had surprised me the most. Jamie was always the one to do the 'dumping.' "But remember, he only broke up with her because he was sick of keeping their relationship a secret."

Eliza nodded. "...True."

Apparently, Jason was tired of hiding from Nikita. He was fed up with the secret meetings after school and the lies he had to tell his friends. He wanted the whole school to know that Jamie was his girlfriend.

No wonder he wasn't crazy about Nikita, now.

"Think about it, Eliza," I continued, "I mean, I don't know what exactly she told you, but Jamie made it pretty clear to me and Ap that it was her fault--y'know, that she was the one who fucked up." She'd said it herself: She was so consumed with trying to keep Nikita in the dark and keep Nikita happy, that she didn't realize how Jason felt.

"She said she was trying so hard not to lose Nikita's friendship, that it never crossed her mind she might lose her boyfriend instead."

And the way Jamie told us...it was as if they'd broken up last week instead of five years ago; the pain still seemed very fresh.

"No, you're right," Eliza nodded. "And the more I think about it, Jason is the only boyfriend Jay's had in the last four years who she actually gives two shits about."

"Well, I hope they get back together," I announced. "Like, as soon as possible. Like, tonight."

"Of course you do," Eliza said with a flick of her eyes to the ceiling.

"Wow, and what is that supposed to mean?"

"You're Mrs. Roman Carson," Eliza teased in a high-pitched voice. "And Mischa's got her bad boy, too. Of course you want Jamie to join the club."

"Don't be jealous," I nodded sagaciously. "It's your turn next, young grasshopper."

Eliza scoffed, smile hidden by a curtain of her long hair. "Whatever, Thal."

"You don't sound too opposed to the idea, Liz."

"Hey!" She flicked icing my way. "Don't use my words against me."

"It fit the situation, didn't it?"

Eliza looked away. "Look, if Nikita found out I was dating one of Xander's friends, she'd probably never speak to me, again." She turned her head on a swivel, surveying the kitchen. "When I told her I liked Marco," she said, tone hushed, "she teased me for days. Now, she'd probably just hate me."

I raised an eyebrow. "Like she currently hates me?" I nodded. "Right."

Eliza blew out a long breath. "I hope she comes around."

"Me too."

I guess I'd find out tonight.

Eliza looked around the empty kitchen, interrupting my distrurbed thoughts of Nikita flipping tables and tossing champagne bottles as she raged about the house. "Let's turn on some music in here," she suggested. "It'll help us work faster."

"Right," I nodded sarcastically, repeating, 'Half full, Thal...Half full...' in my head to banish my bad thoughts. "Music'll definitely help us multitask more efficiently." Or help me focus on something else.

"Studies have proven it, Thal."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," she grinned, hurrying from the room. "They've shown that friends who talk a lot will be more productive if they've got something to sing to. It helps them stop talking."

"Right," I grinned. "I think I've heard about that, too."

She laughed. "I'll be back. This place has got an awesome sound system, and you can hear the music throuhgout the entire house--"

"Eliza," I stated.

Her big, excited eyes meet my narrowed ones. "Huh?"

I motioned towards the opposite countertop full of unfrosted pastries.

"Hurry."

"Right," she nodded. "This is only cool to me," she nodded, raising a finger. "Be right back." And she was gone.

After a few moments of silence, the first song on The 1975's self-titled album filtered through the house speakers.

Go down,

Soft sound.

"In honor of our 'Jamie' in Jamison," Eliza announced as she returned. "I figured we could listen to her newest obsession. It's on shuffle."

Midnight,

Car lights.

"I loved this album," I laughed, seeing that Jamie, our musical connoiseur of a friend, heard of the band before break and had to get us all on the bandwaggon. "They're really good."

"And British," Eliza quipped. "You know foreign accents turn me on."

"I do," I nodded, "now pipe. You know I've got to go home and change before tonight."

"Fine, fine," Eliza replied, rolling her sleeves. "I'm on it, I'm on it."

They're just girls, breaking hearts

Eyes bright, uptight, just girls.

Between the two of us, Eliza and I finished piping the cookies and cupcakes in about twenty minutes, the task seemingly shorter due to the upbeat rhythms of The 1975. And we sat in the kitchen, talking and taste-testing the catering after our duty had been completed; laughing a bit too loudly, seeing that Angelina returned with a woman about her age, with a thin frame, long, straight black hair, olive skin and piercing, bright blue eyes.

She looked awfully, painfully familiar.

"Liz," Angelina crooned, "guess who's here?"

Eliza's eyes went wide at the sight of the new woman. "Penelope!" She exclaimed, hurrying to the new woman. Eliza's excitement was met with a gorgeous smile.

"Hi, Eliza."

"And this is her friend," Angelina announced, stepping towards me to place her hands on my shoulders. "This is Thalia."

"What a beautiful name," Penelope remarked, extending her hand. "Greek, isn't it?"

"Thank you," I said with a nod, shaking her outstretched hand. "It is." My mother named me after a minor goddess; one of Zeus' daughters; one of the three Graces.

Eliza looked arouund the room. "Where are the boys?"

"Jeff took them somewhere," Angelina said with a quick shake of her head. "They're somewhere around here, setting up. And if you're both feeling wonderful, would you please assist them? I need streamers hung in the dining room and the foyer. Thal, there's less to do in the dining room. Would you mind?"

I shook my head. "Not at all," I replied.

"No fair," Eliza pouted, bumping me with her hip. "Thalia gets the easy job."

"Right," Angelina replied, sticking her tongue at her daughter. "That's because I like her more."

Eliza wrapped her arms around Penelope's waist. "Adopt me? You'll love me, right, Aunt Pen?"

Penelope grinned, kissing the top of Eliza's head. "Of course, my love."

I grinned at the woman, following Angelina from the kitchen.

Where did I know her from?

But, I cast aside my thoughts as I was led into another gigantic area, where a twelve-person dining table already dressed, and I watched as a boy hung sparkly yellow streamers along the walls.

"Knock, knock," Angelina announced, "I've brought you some help."

The boy, or should I say young man whirled around. His icy blue eyes fell onto mine.

A smile played at the corner of his lip. "Cool."

"Alright," Angelina smiled, "I'll leave you both to it. Have fun," she winked at me, and flounced--a lot like Eliza--from the room.

"So," I began, walking towards him. "What exactly am I helping with?"

A smile became a full-on grin, and with that, I had to assume that he, whoever 'he' was, belonged to Penelope.

Tall and lean, this boy looked to have been around my age, possibly younger. He had a head of thick, curly dark brown hair and while he was definitely lacking his mother's olive tan, both had the same piercing blue eyes. Now, they weren't dark like Collin's, but they were bright and almost glassy.

Damn it.

I was a fuckin' sucker for pretty eyes.

Ugh...I really needed to stop cursing.

Shit.

I mean, shoot.

The boy grabbed at the line of glittery streamers pooling about his ankles. "We just have to hang these up," he said.

"That's it?"

"That's it," he nodded. "I mean," he smirked, "unless there's something else for us to do."

By the seductive tone employed by my new 'friend,' I caught on quickly to the double meaning behind his words.

"Well," I said, clapping my hands and pretending not to hear him, "we'd better get to work, right?"

Male Penelope gave me a lazy smile and a curt nod.

"Right," I said. "Let's get to work."

~*~

"So, what's your name?" I asked, as I fixed the last streamer onto the wall.

I mean, despite surpassing Xander on the flirtatious scale, my bright-eyed friend had not only saved me multiple times from falling off of my chair as I tacked streamers to the wall, but he was surprisingly very easy to talk to, and funny as well.

Conversation flowed easily between us about the holidays -- he left the cooking to his mom and grandmother -- about school -- he was a freshman at USC -- about sports -- he earned a scholarship for soccer -- about music -- apparently, Eliza had gotten him hooked on The 1975, too -- and a number of random small conversational topics that sprung up. I mean, after hanging streamers around the gigantic dining room, I figured I couldn't keep referring to him in my mind as 'Male Penelope.'

Besides, he and his mother seemed far too familiar.

"Morgan," he replied, drinking me in with those bright blue eyes that I loved.

I nodded. "Awesome."

"And you?"

"Thalia."

"And you go to GW, right?"

"Affirmative," I replied.

Morgan helped me from the chair. "One of my brother's best friends goes to Georgetown."

"Seriously?" I lit up. "I have a friend who goes there, too."

"But, you're a sophomore, huh?"

I nodded. "Why do you sound so disappointed?"

"It's just too bad..."

I placed my hands on my hips. "What is?"

"That you don't go to school closer to home," Morgan replied, biting down on the corner of his lip. "Y'know, we've got a lot in common, and I love an older woman."

I stepped backwards in shock and amusement. "Wow," I nodded. "I walked right into a trap, didn't I?"

Morgan was laughing. "Not a trap," he shrugged. "It was fate. This was supposed to happen," he stepped closer to me.

I pushed off from his chest. "Riiight..."

But, the closer Morgan was to me, the more I was able to study his face; the more I realized why he and his mother had seemed so familiar.

They'd come straight from Eliza's Westchester High School yearbook.

"Wait, Morgan?"

"Huh, Thalia?"

I shook my head, ignoring his smirk. "By any chance, do you have an older brother?"

"God," boomed a loud, unfamiliar voice, cutting off the answer I was about to receive. "Morgan, how fuckin' thirsty can you be, brah?"

I whirled around. Eliza was laughing, shaking her head beside a super tall, super buff guy with bright blue eyes, short, thick brown hair, the slight stubble of a beard and a smile a heck of a lot like Morgan's.

I jerked my thumb in the newcomer's direction. "Is that the answer to my question?"

Morgan nodded. "Unfortunately."

"Dude, right," his brother laughed. "Right, because I'm the embarrassment?"

Eliza sighed. "Can't we all just get along?"

I looked between the two boys. "Apparently not."

"Thalia, this is Marco. Marco," she smiled up at him, "this is one of my best friends, Thalia."

I waved. "Hi," I said. "It's nice to finally meet you--"

"Well c'mere!" Marco exclaimed, not letting me finish. He literally crossed the room in two strides, crushing me to his broad chest. "I've heard so much about you!"

I couldn't respond.

"I've been trying to come by the garage when you're there, but Xander never tells me," he exclaimed. "He's fucking hogging you or something, Thalia."

I was lifted off the ground, feet dangling in the air as my lungs practically shed tiny, internal tears for oxygen. The smell of nicotine and cologne engulfed me as muscles constricted tighter around my chest.

It was like being hugged by Jeff on crack. Literally, I thought Marco was trying to kill me.

It's the only explanation.

"Any friend of Eliza's is a friend of mine!" Marco exclaimed in my ear, because everything he said, he said loudly. "It's nice to finally meet you, Thalia!"

I managed a small, "Thanks," dots dancing before my eyes.

"Shit," Marco continued at the same outdoor volume, "I can't believe it's taken us this long to meet! All the guys have been talkin' about you, causing trouble and whatnot..."

I just knew I was turning purple.

"...Air...Help..."

"Oh shit! Fuck!" He exclaimed, placing my back onto my feet. "Damn it, I'm sorry."

I staggered backwards into Morgan. "S'okay," I smiled, drinking air as if I couldn't get enough of it. "I'm fine."

"Jeez, Marco," Eliza said. "I can't have you killing my friends."

"Heh, sorry about that," he muttered, rubbing both hands on his neck.

"He's like a gorilla," Morgan said. "He doesn't know his own goddamn strength."

"It's fine," I grinned. "Really, I'm okay."

"You'd better be," Eliza muttered.

"Thanks for the concern," I said, as the tingling subsided in my fingers, "but I'm alright, I promise."

Morgan turned to his brother, now. "Where've you been?" He demanded. "You were supposed to fuckin' help me with this shit."

Marco shrugged nonchalantly, and he tapped a cigarette I hadn't notice tucked on his ear. "Smoke break," he replied.

"Fuck, man."

"Wait," Eliza whirled around, hands on her hips. "I thought you were quitting."

"I'm trying to quit," Marco replied, clamping his pointer and thumb together to accentuate the point. "There's a difference, Liza."

"That's bullshit," she retorted. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

Marco shrugged and I winced at her choice of words.

"It's better than popping pills, right?"

Eliza turned away, shaking her head. "Whatever," she spat. "You're going to do whatever the hell you want, anyway. I swear, you love seeing me upse--"

"C'mon, Liza," Marco said lightly, reaching out to grab her hand. "It's like, it's a stress release," he said. "It's habit," and I watched Eliza inhale sharply as Marco pulled her to him. "I'm trying, okay?"

"Okay," she replied, voice definitely sounding higher than normal.

"Okay?"

"Okay!" She exclaimed, jerking from her grip. "I really hope you're serious, Marco."

He grinned. "Have I ever lied to you?"

"Is this a real question?"

Marco's booming laughter reverberated throughout the room. "You must like me enough to want to surprise me tonight," he said, wiggling his thick eyebrows. "Are you going to tell me what it is?"

Morgan and I turned to Eliza.

"There's a surprise?" I asked.

"Why the hell does Marco get a surprise? What the hell's he done?"

Spoken like a true younger brother.

"You'll see tonight," Eliza smiled. "Fair enough?"

"Will I like it?"

"No," Eliza huffed, turning back to Marco. "You'll hate it. Why the heck am I trying to plan a surprise?"

Marco pulled her to him, tickling her. "Whatever, Elizard," he exclaimed, causing me to laugh. "I'm just joking."

"You're always joking," Eliza groaned, pushing away from him. "And you know I hate that stupid nickname."

I shook my head, grinning. "I don't know, Eliza," I said, "that's pretty hilarious."

Marco grinned. "Thalia gets it."

"Well, then give her a terrible name and leave me out of it."

"Can do," Marco nodded. "Just give me time."

I shook my head, "You remind me so much of my brother," I said.

Marco exhaled loudly, turning to me. "Y'know, Liza's like my sister," he said, elbowing her playfully. "What kind of brother would I be not to embarrass her at every chance I got?"

"Oh yeah," Eliza said, although I watched as her eyes dimmed, not matching her smile. "Right." She laughed without emotion. "Right, Brother."

Marco elbowed her again. He obviously hadn't noticed Eliza's change in mood.

Boys.

I honestly can't say that enough.

But, I did. It had been almost seven years since she'd had a crush on Marco. She'd said it herself: she had long grown out of that...unless she hadn't.

Maybe she never had.

"Thal!"

I was snapped from my thoughts.

"Thal, it's 6:00," Angelina said, because she, Jeff and Penelope now stood in the doorway. "We're pretty good with decorations for now. I release you from your duties," she smiled. "I'm sure we can handle the rest."

"Oh, yeah," Eliza nodded. "You should probably go if you're going to shower and change, Thal."

I checked my phone. She and her mom were right. "I should go," I nodded.

"C'mon," Eliza said, "I'll walk you to your car."

And I bid everyone good-bye before following Eliza outside and onto the street. Matty Healy's voice was silenced as she closed the door behind us.

I'd already decided to play their album once I got in the car.

"So," I paused, fumbling for unfamiliar keys since my brother loaned me his car that day. "That's Marco, huh?"

Eliza nodded. "Now you've got a face for the name."

"I see..."

"Why? You don't like him? I mean," Eliza rambled, "I know Morgan can be a bit much sometimes, but he's horny and 18, y'know? He's like, still a child, Thal, and I hope you don't think that Marco--"

"Eliza!" I exclaimed, cutting her off. "I like Marco, girl," I shook my head. "That's not my concern."

I was already scared for my reunion with Nikita. If Mischa managed to get her to come, the Artinian's party would be the first time the six of us girls would all be together since the UCLA party. And even though I wanted Nikita to move on, I was still scared that I'd completely lose her friendship if she never did. We hadn't spoken since the Secret Santa phone call, and unless someone told her, she didn't know that Roman and I were dating. Not to mention, I was terrified that Jamie might tell her about her relationship with Jason, and I was hoping, no praying that she and Xander never found themselves in the same room.

And on top of that, there was Marco.

I really did like him, and I understood why Tuck thought we'd get along. I could totally see myself hanging out with him and his friends, so Marco's presence at the party tonight didn't worry me.

Not at all.

I was worried about his ex-best friend.

I couldn't handle another failed reunion, and Secret Santa had been so much fun, I knew there was a way for us to all be together without any problems, any hostility.

I thought at least I deserved a break on New Year's Eve.

"Do the boys know?" I asked, but more importantly, "Does David know?"

"Well," A slow blush appeared across Eliza's cheeks, her eyes falling to the cement.

Oh, god.

"Heh," she chuckled softly, "Surprise."

-~*~-

Ready for New Year's!? Well, neither is Thalia.

What do you hope happens at Eliza's party? Who do you want to hook up before the ball drops?

Love you all, and I can't thank you enough for reading.

Vomment <3