Katie wasn't sure she was ready for a party, since she hardly ever went to them and didn't enjoy them much, but she supposed she wouldn't have much of a choice. If she didn't go, Lucy would regard it as nothing less than betrayal. She was a fierce friend, but it sometimes only took one moment to get on her bad side. And if there was one thing Katie feared more than the crazy Lucy, it was the angry one. She and Lucy finished getting ready then went down the stairs. Heleana was waiting for them at the foot of the stairs, and smiled at them when she saw them.

"You look lovely, girls."

It was true that they cleaned up well, Katie admitted as she glanced at the ornate mirror on the wall. Her dark hair and blue dress brought out her wide bright eyes, while Lucy's red lipstick was striking against her green top and long brown hair, sparkling with glitter.

"Thanks, Mrs T," Lucy grinned.

"How many times must I tell you that you can call me Heleana?" Mrs Thomas chastised teasingly.

"Only a million," Katie grinned.

Lucy stuck her tongue out at her and elbowed her, but giggled.

"Where's dad?"

"In the basement with Gideon."

"Oooh, doing the m-thing?" Lucy asked interestedly.

"Yes," Katie nodded reluctantly.

They tried to avoid talking about it with Lucy in the house, mostly because of the Council.

"Now, don't forget, no alcohol of any sort, or smoking or anything dangerous."

Lucy fought not to smile, but Katie groaned.

"Mum..." she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"And back by midnight, okay?"

"I'll make sure she behaves," Lucy said, wrapping an arm around Katie's shoulders."

"No offence, Lucy, dear, but that's exactly what I'm afraid of." Heleana smiled.

Lucy laughed.

"None taken, ma'am. C'mon, Katie, we'd better get going."

Katie, who was only too glad to get out of her mother's overprotective bubble, even if she wasn't sure she was thrilled with the destination, nodded.

"Okay. Don't wait up for us, Mum," she said, though she knew her mother probably would anyway.

"Have fun," Heleana said.

The girls went out and to Katie's car. She hadn't had her license for very long, but she was a reasonable driver.

"We are going to have so much fun!" Lucy said cheerfully.

One of the things Katie loved about Lucy was how upbeat and happy she always seemed.

"Does your mother even know you're going out?" Katie asked.

"Of course... not!" Lucy laughed. "You know she would be up the wall about it!"

"I suppose she would..." Katie agreed.

Lucy's mother was rather firmly opposed to Lucy's taste for parties and having fun. Though the four times she had been driven home in a police car because she had overindulged probably had something to do with it.

"You really should at least tell her what you're doing..."

"I did! I told her I was with you."

Katie rolled her eyes – she did that a lot with Lucy, - and started the car.

The club Lucy led Katie to was pretty much exactly what she'd expected. Noisy, full of lights and loud music. But that was exactly what Lucy loved about clubs.

"... I still can't believe you managed to drag me into this..."

"And I will be eternally grateful for it. Come on, it'll be fun!"

Katie sighed and followed her out of the car and into the building. It was still only about nine in the evening, but since it was Saturday, people were already pouring in. Katie felt uneasy in the foreign environment, but did her best to keep it off her face.

"Come on," Lucy grinned, taking her arm.

The girls started by ordering drinks. A beer for Lucy, a non-alcoholic fruit cocktail for Katie. They found a table and sat down while others chattered noisily or danced. Katie did her best, for Lucy's sake, to ignore how uncomfortable she was. After a few moments, a popular song began blaring.

"Ooh, I love this song, come on, let's go dance!"

Before Katie could so much as open her mouth, Lucy had tugged her to her feet and pulled her to the dance floor. There wasn't that much room with the other people on it, but the girls managed to squeeze through. Katie wasn't all that keen on the kind of music that was usually played in clubs, but she had to admit it was catchy, and eventually found herself moving with the rhythm. Lucy beamed and she felt a small smile tug at her lips. After three songs, however, Katie, exhausted, excused herself. Lucy was dancing very close to a young and – admittedly – handsome guy, and tried to convince her to stay, but Katie left her to it. Making her way through the crowd, she eventually found their table and sat down. Taking a sip of her drink, she found her foot tapping to the beat of the music. She glanced at Lucy, who was laughing at something her partner had said. Katie sighed, wondering how much of it was sincere. The poor bloke would probably be forgotten in the morning.

"Is this seat taken?"

Katie glanced up. Before her was a boy about her age, Gideon's at the most. He wasn't bad looking, Katie thought, but there was a look in his dark eyes she wasn't sure she liked. His black hair hair was tousled in a way that made it look messy, but was carefully styled that way. He wore a blue T-shirt over black jeans and trainers. She wasn't sure, but she thought she smelled a whiff of alcohol coming from him. As always when approached by strangers, Katie's defences snapped up.

"Er... yes, it is," she said evenly, sizing him up surreptitiously.

His enthusiasm dimmed a little.

"Oh? Where is he, then?" he inquired. "I don't see anyone in it right now."

Katie realized he thought she was referring to a boyfriend.

"Oh..." she hesitated. "No, I... I'm not here with a boy. My friend's a girl."

The boy perked up.

"Oh, then I can hope," he grinned. "She won't mind if I borrow her seat, right?"

Katie tried not to let her unease show on her face. She wanted to glance around to try and spot Lucy, but with him looking at her, she couldn't without him catching on.

"... I think she will. She'll be back any second." she eventually said, looking away.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw

"Well, she's not here right now, is she?"

And, without giving her a chance to protest, he flopped down into the chair next to her. Katie bit her lip. How was she going to get rid of him?

***************

Ugh, the clingy flirter! Those are the worse, don't you think?

What would you do to get rid of someone like that? Let us know in the comments!

Let's hope Katie can sort herself out! Let's find out in the next part!