The Freshmen Orientation Party had finally concluded, and the Seniors of Rosemary were more than ready to get the real party started. With all the freshmen now gone a herd of Uber and Taxi drivers surrounded the perimeter of Rosemary high. Nami had spent the Majority of her time there looking after her freshman alongside her partner Mitchell, an experience she would have preferred not to go through as she was the victim of their constant teasing. Their freshmen Greg was a rather chubby boy and a spoiled brat which was boosted by Mitchell's big brother attitude towards the boy.

They clicked so well Nami began to wonder if they were actually related.

"Hey, Mitchell. Aren't you going to Maze's party?" Nami asked the blonde who had begun walking to his residence. He turned with a snarky smile on his face before saying.

"And here I am thinking you've had enough of my pretty little face?" Nami rolled her eyes in response.

"You're right, thanks for reminding me." Her sarcasm got a chuckle out of the blonde.

"Me and Maze aren't really on the best terms, so I won't be joining you for this one." Nami looked at him curiously.

"And why is that the case?" She asked.

"It's nothing you have to worry about, just go have fun and unless you have a designated driver I'd advise you not to go to hard on the alcohol." Mitchell answered with his back turned to her.

"Why would there be alcohol at a party like this? Isn't the school hosting it?" Nami asked which got Mitchell to stop dead in his tracks.

"No fucking way, you've never been to a party before." The shock in Mitchell's tone was amplified by his wide-eyed stare, though his face shortly adopted that mischievous smile Nami got all too accustomed to that night.

"I-I have I just---."

"How strong is Grey." Mitchell interrupted.

"Y-you mean the color grey?" Mitchell burst out in laughter making Nami go red with embarrassment. She threw a punch straight into his mid section which got him coughing violently.

"Shut up okay, I get it! Just don't go spreading this." Mitchell straightened himself while chuckling before saying.

"It's cool, It's not like I've got friends to share it with either way. I'm heading out, so see you next week. Virgin Beth." Mitchell turned to leave, leaving Nami with a concerned look on her face.

________________________

The sun had set awhile back, the sky was cloudless with a few stars spread unevenly. The air was icy cold, but Mohammed didn't feel it, he never felt cold. But for the sake of normalcy, he wore a bright green sweater that he had just recently bought with blue jeans and white sneakers. He stood under a streetlight, wondering why he had chosen to go to this party. Oh, right, he couldn't say no to that pink haired girl he met earlier, those innocent blue eyes and annoyingly energetic voice was more than enough to persuade him. And now he was lost in the streets of Newark City without a hint as to where he was to go next. It was too late to go back home, the buses back to the South had stopped coming long after the sun had set.

As a Southerner it was seen as a blessing to receive an opportunity in the North. But as grateful as he was he knew he couldn't relax. He worked his hardest to get to where he was and he owed it to his family to give it his all. And yet here he was, in the middle of the night, in an unfamiliar city with no way home.

Just as he looked down he noticed someone coming. He stared at the floor in an effort to ignore the person pacing by, only catching a few glimpses of the person as they past by him. He recognized her. Waiting for her to walk a bit further from him before he began following her. He kept up a slow and unassuming pace so as to not draw suspicion to himself. He figured that she was also heading towards Mazekien's party venue, having nothing to base his assumptions off other than her being a person from school.

He followed the girl around the city which was still as bright as day with all the lights that were on. The streets were clean and less crowded as they were during daytime. The city had a peaceful vibe to it. He could see it already, him and his family enjoying the peaceful lifestyle the north had to offer. But he couldn't get distracted, as he still had to make it to the party and find a way back home, at best he could last the whole night in the party and leave in the morning. The girl he was following turned into an alleyway which prompted Moe to follow along. Though something didn't feel right about his situation. There were less cars in the area and all shops around him were closed.

With his guard up he slowly approached the alleyway. He rapidly turned into it expecting to be ambushed, but was surprised to see there was nothing but a dead end. He sighed a breath of relief before the realization of just how lost he was began to settle in.

"Why are you following me." Before he knew it he was already face first on the cold floor, unable to feel his arms and lower body.

"I'll ask one more time," She placed a foot on the back of Moe's neck making it slightly harder to breathe. This was the girl Moe was following, but how did she realize that he was following her specifically. He was far enough to barely be seen.

"I-I am looking for the party venue... The one Ms. Mazekien is hosting." Moe blurted out, hoping that would be enough to get him out of his predicament.

How did it even happen? His guard was up and yet still she was able to get the jump on him. Who was this girl?

"A likely story, but I'm not sure I believe you." She said adding pressure on his throat.

"I swear! *Cough* I got lost and followed you since I recognized you from school!" He wheezed out.

The girl thought about it for a while before slowly removing her foot off the back of his neck. Suddenly Moe could feel the sensation in his limbs again and he sprang up from the floor.

He coughed a bit as he balanced himself on his knees before turning to face the girl.

Wearing all black with a baggy hoodie and sweatpants, the girl was shorter than him with brown chocolate skin and dark eyes that glared back at him intensely.

"You are Nami, am I correct?" The girl just gave him a silent nod. An awkward silence came between them with her unrelenting gaze burrowing holes through him.

"Uhm... Do you know where the party is?" Moe asked in an effort to break the silence.

"Follow me." She said in a deadpan tone, as she began leading the way. Moe complied feeling she was likely to leave him behind if he didn't.

Their walk was a quiet one and the tension between them was quick to fill the air. He tried to distract himself with the scenery, but the silence between them was unbearable. He had so many questions for her, but was too afraid of what she might do to him if he asked her anything.

Never had he lost power over his body like that before.

"So, you're from the South?" Nami asked, surprising Moe a little.

"Yeah." He answered, still cautious of the girl.

"How is it like there?" Was she trying to start a conversation?

"Like shit." Moe answered.

"Oh, I see." She said, before going quiet yet again.

Taking the hint Moe decided that it was his turn to try and spark up a conversation.

"So, where are you from?" He asked.

"I'd rather not say." She responded coldly.

"Oh... uhm, I just thought---"

"The less you know about me the better." She said, her tone not shifting at all.

"Then why would, you start up small talk if you have no intention of sharing anything?" Moe asked feeling a little frustrated.

"You're right, maybe talking to you wasn't very smart of me."

"Yeah, maybe." Moe said as he began to sober up from his frustration. They began to come across cars that filled the entire road with barely any walkway. Some muffled music came out of the seemingly small two story building with bright changing lights coming from both floors. Moe was mesmerized by this for a good minute before he was snapped out of it by a loud sigh from Nami.

"Listen, I'm not good at all this first impressions stuff, so sorry if I came off as a little cold." She turned to him with an apologetic look in her eyes which made her seem way softer than before.

"Then let's start from scratch, my name is Mohammed." He said extending his hand to her.

Nami looked at it a bit before shaking it.

"My name is Nami, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Mohammed." She said with a lively smile on her face.

"Awesome, now let's go enjoy ourselves, before the sun rises."

___________________

The venue was quickly getting crowded as swarms and swarms of people kept entering, but as open as the event wad Maze was sure to have security crackdown on anyone who dared to break the events rules. No heavy drugs, No outside alcohol, No cellphones, No fighting. Fairly simple rules to follow, but she wasn't dumb enough to trust everyone to follow them. The event was the last she would ever get to host as the rest of the year was to hectic to allow any other event like it. She was going to make sure that nothing would ruin her perfect night.

She stepped in the DJ's booth and grabbed the mic excitedly. "Ladies and Gentlemen are you Ready!" The crowd cheered back at her. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't hear that. I said, ARE YOU READY!!" The crowd screamed even louder, almost enough to shatter the windows of the building. The DJ spun the disc and played Unlike us by Ruderick Kamar. Everybody cheered as they began jumping to the beat. Maze stepped down the DJ booth and began pushing her way through the crowd, finding her way to Tiffany who already had a can in her hands.

"You couldn't wait til the party started?" Maze shouted in her ear as that was the only way she'd hear her.

"Nah Bitch, early bird catches the worm. YEAHHHHH!!" Tiffany was about to jump back in the crowd before being pulled back by Maze. The two ran upstairs and stopped at the second floor.

"Your cousin, has he already arrived?" Maze asked in an anxious excitement.

"Bitch chill, Leshauna is already at the bar. You should have a drink before you start ruining the fun for yourself." Tiffany pulled her towards the bar before Maze came to a hard stop.

"I still need to check in with the bouncers, so I can't---" Tiffany shoved her half drank can of Heine in her hands.

"Brian is overseeing the bouncers, and Duncan is guarding the inside. Now are you gonna drink up or are you gonna worry yourself all night?" Maze sighed before pouring the bitter liquid in her mouth.

"Good girl. I want you to remember that this might be the last time we'll be having fun like this so enjoy it while it still last." Tiffany pulled Maze closer for a peck on the lips. "Now let's get fucked up like the animals that we are!"

_____________________________________________________

Chris had finally reached the venue of the party and saying that he was overwhelmed by the whole setup was an understatement. Upon entering the venue, you would hear music so loud that you'd feel your body vibrate every time the beat dropped, the lights were so bright that your eyes would squint every time they'd pass your face, the scent of weed and other narcotics polluted the air and the atmosphere was warmed by the sheer mass of people in the venue.

Chris froze on the spot not knowing what to do or where to start. Luckily, he was saved by Tiffany who pulled him out of the madness.

"Chris! I'm so glad you made it!" She shouted over loud music.

"Where is Maze?!" He asked, attempting to make his voice sound over the music.

"What?!" Tiffany asked, not being able to hear him.

"Where is Maze?!!" He asked even louder. Tiffany pulled him by the arm upstairs where the music was not as loud.

"Sorry, I couldn't hear you. Do you mind repeating what you said?" Tiffany asked seemingly out of breath.

Chris could now get a good look of things since the lights weren't all that crazy on the second floor. It had more of a chilled vibe compared to the first floor. It had a pool and a jacuzzi. A bar could be spotted at one corner of the room with a bartender tending to some customers.

"Chris, Chris can you hear me?" Tiffany tapped him on the shoulder to snap him back to reality.

"Sorry Tiffany I just needed some time to process everything. It's just that I didn't know parties can get this crazy." Chris explained sounding worn out.

"You sound like you need a drink can I offer you anything?" Tiffany asked with a kind smile on her face, her blue eyes sparkling to the light orange lighting to the room which brought Chris's attention over to what she was wearing.

A strapless black top with white jean shorts that hugged her thicc chocolate thighs, but that was not what concerned Chris. No, what concerned Chris was her cleavage that stood out like a sore thumb. He averted his gaze elsewhere as he grew in discomfort.

"Uhm, yeah, I can't drink alcohol. So, a Coke would do fine." Tiffany rolled her eyes.

"I'm not stupid y'know, of course I wouldn't force you to drink anything you are not supposed to." She said slapping him on the shoulder.

"C'mon I don't trust you here on your own so let's go together." She insisted. Chris agreed and they both made their way to the Bar.

"Hey there Tiff, can I get you anything?" The bartender asked.

"I would like a few shots of Grey and my friend here would like a Coke." The bartender nodded and went to go get the drinks.

"You guys know each other?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, he's family. He owns his own Bar in the city, and he is now here to pay back a favor. Handsome, isn't he?" She asked, getting a little closer to Chris.

"Uhm, well he doesn't look too shabby, so yeah I guess." Chris answered.

"Hey Chris, what women is your type?" Chris jumped in his seat as an image of Cindy clouded his thoughts for a second. He shook his head to get the thoughts out.

"U-U-Uhm aren't I a little too young to be answering that?" Chris asked trying to dodge her question. Tiffany rolled her eyes.

"Bullshit little man, I've seen how you look at Maze." Chris turned beat red at the mention of her name.

"It's okay little dude, every guy and their father wants to get with her. She is the prettiest girl in the so it's a no brainer really." Chris slouched in his seat as his drink was delivered to him.

"It's okay to admire her from afar, everyone does it, just don't touch her or else Brian might get'cha." Tiffany said, almost painting Brian as a scary fairy tale character. She poured the clear vodka into a shot glass before downing it in one go.

"I- I wouldn't say Maze is the prettiest girl in the school though, I mean you're not to bad yourself." Tiffany nearly choked on her next shot before swallowing it properly. She grabbed Chris's drink from him and drank it in an effort to wash down the vodka.

"A little charmer I see. But I'd be delusional to believe I'm half as pretty as her." She poured another shot for herself and downed it in one go. "Y'know, If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you're trying to get in my pants." Chris went beat red at the thought of it, getting a hearty laugh from the brown beauty.

"I'm sorry little man, greater men then you have tried and failed to hold me down." Chris groaned before taking a sip of his drink.

"That's not what I meant," He started, Tiffany began to lean on her hand in intrigue. "I mean beauty is subjective and although she is beautiful, I wouldn't go far as to say she's the prettiest.

"Oh... I see what's going on now." Tiffany said as a mischievous grin painted itself on her face. Chris had a worried look, wondering what she was getting at.

"Hey Leshauna! Get me another shot glass!" She called, getting an annoyed look from the Bartender.

"It's Leroy, Tiff, stop calling me Leshauna." He said in silent anger, as he placed the shot glass next to her.

"Your face maybe Leroy, but dat ass like Leshauna!" She said giving him a playful slap on the butt just as he turned around. The bartender walked back to serving the other customers, ignoring Tiffany's antics.

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"Now who is this girl you have a crush on?" She asked, pouring the vodka in both glasses and passing one to Chris.

"But I thought---"

"New rules, If I'm able to guess who this girl is you drink with me for the rest of the night, but I take a shot every time I guess wrong, is that a deal?" Chris hesitated as he stared at the drink before him. Feeling a rush of fear and excitement he took the shot and gulped in one go.

"Deal!" He wheezed out, feeling the burning liquid go down his throat.

_________________________________________

Loud music, obnoxious people, the smell of alcohol and weed clouding the air. It didn't take much for Nami to realize that she didn't belong there. Everything around was so alien to her, having only heard about those things from conversations she was never a part of.

So many times she contemplated leaving, so many times she convinced herself that she shouldn't. The music wasn't half bad, but she'd be damned to be caught dancing in front of so many people. Maybe going there was a bad idea. No, she should at least spend the whole night there and scratch it off her bucket list once and for all.

"Hey there little lady." A guy sat next to her and uninvitedly threw his hand over her shoulder, having to resist the urge to punch his face in.

"I got something for you if you aren't really feeling this party, wanna give it a try?" Nami took the drug from his hand and began examining it.

"3,4-Methyl enedioxy methamphetamine, and here I thought Maze cracked down on all the hard drugs here?" Nami wondered as curiosity grew in her. I remember Aldred saying I had a higher tolerance to harmful substances than most people, so would it be okay if I took this?

"Candy isn't a hard drug, or at least my variant isn't. The effects will wear off by tomorrow morning and trust me when I say you'll be feeling as fresh as raw fish." Nami rolled her eyes.

"Raw fish is dead so it doesn't feel anymore, but if it isn't as strong then I guess I'll take a bite. What's your price?" Giving in to her curiosity she began to feel a rush of excitement come with it.

"On the house pretty lady, the names Quavo, if you need another dose then you can hit me up." A card appeared in the hand that was over her shoulder. A businessman I see.

"This is probably the last time we talk so I'll have to pass." Quavo chuckled.

"Trust me pretty lady, this won't be the last time we chat." He dropped his card on her lap before leaving, disappearing in the thickening crowd of people. She eyed the pill, realizing that it had an addictive factor to it. You only live once. She thought to herself before downing the drug in one go.

She sat there on the sofa, staring at the ceiling as she waited for the drug to kick in. Some people she didn't know sat around her and began passing around a blunt to each other. The smoke infecting Nami's lungs.

"Hey man, wanna hit?" The guy next to her asked as he placed the blunt near her face. She took the blunt in her hands and stared at it for a while. "Cannabis ey, I wonder if this will quicken the effect of MDMA."

"My weed goes well with everything sweety just give it a hit and you'll ascend." Nami giggled. Comparing the feeling of a high to Ascension was absurd or at least she thought it was, being unable to ascend made her curios to see if the statement was true. And so in one pull Nami finished the entire stick. She held it in for a bit before letting out a heavy cloud of smoke out of her mouth.

"Damn girl, that was epic." The guy next to her exclaimed. "You should hang with us if you want another hit." Was this what it was like to be at an event like this? Was she finally going to have fun.

"I'm sorry boys but imma have to steel this one from you." Nami got pulled out of the group. A blonde beefy man in all black walking with her in the opposite direction.

"And what if I was enjoying myself?" She came to a full stop that shocked the man as he could barely get her to budge.

"Ey, bro you shouldn't steal another man's catch like that." The guy she sat with walked up to her to try and wrestle her back. Not noticing the stink eye he was getting from Nami.

"I'm the one who invited her, so you should back off while you still can." Finally, a familiar face, it was Duncan. He was obviously drunk or tipsy by the very least, but it was still him.

"I don't appreciate being a prize for you boys to fight over." She slipped her hands out of both of their grip before walking on ahead. "Come on Brian, was there something you..." She trailed off as the effects of the drugs began taking over. She smiled to herself. So this is what it feels like.

All the sudden she felt restless, her skin firing up as it became more sensitive, her vision distorting as everything began to look more colorful. She pulled Duncan into the crowd of dancing people as her favorite song began to play.

She jumped for joy as the DJ played on, feeling every beat and lyric of the song, Party, by Chris Hazel. Brian was confused but also enjoyed as he jumped alongside her. The two danced together as if they had known each other for a long time, synchronizing flawlessly.

Nami could feel herself growing parched as the song went on and she eventually asked Duncan for a drink. The two pushed through the crowd hand in hand until they climbed to the second floor.

"Oh god that was awesome!" Nami exclaimed still feeling hyper.

"Let me go get us some drinks we can talk over." Duncan began walking over to the Bar.

"Nothing strong please." Nami shouted. But Before Duncan could even get close he was spotted by Tiffany who rushed straight at him.

"Oh my God Duncan is this your new Girlfriend? She is so pretty. Duncan and his girlfriend sitting in a tree. K.I.S.S.I.N.G." She sung and then proceeded to laugh.

"Shut up Williams! Go mind your own damn business." Duncan said agitated by her teasing. He noticed that she was being supported by Chris and instantly softened up.

"She had a little too much to drink, didn't she?" He asked Chris.

"Yeah, about six shots of Grey. After that a bunch of dudes started flirting with her, so I had to make an excuse to get out of the situation. I thought I should bring her to Maze, but she pointed at you, so I knew you must've been one of her friends, right?" He asked for assurance.

"Unfortunately little man, I am. Give her to me I'll find a quiet place where she can rest."

"Duncan, where's your girlfriend?" Tiffany asked noticing Nami had disappeared. Duncan looked around him before hearing loud shouting from the bottom floor.

Ah shit, a fight at this hour!? Duncan thought as he rushed over to the screaming crowd.

He pushed his way through the crowd but when he got there, he noticed it wasn't a fight, they were just watching someone dance. What surprised him though was who was on the dance floor.

Her moves were fluid, naturally following the beat of the song. She had removed her hoodie allowing her hips to captivate the crowd, even Duncan found it hard to look away. She was in her element and when the music stopped and the crowd cheered Nami realized she had just danced in front of all those people. She ran out feeling embarrassment washing over her mixed with a hint of excitement.

Nami sighed feeling slightly exhausted, watching her breath form a ball of mist in the cold of night. Duncan was able to get her a drink at the end of the day, having it be a cider as per Nami's request. A request she instantly regretted after a few sips of it. She placed the can on the floor, not wanting anything to do with it. The effects of the drug were wanning which sucked because she knew her fun was going to go with it.

Maybe I do need to contact that guy. Nami thought as she eyed the number on the card.

Nah, he'll probably offer me something stronger, I think I'm done ruining myself for one night. Her common sense interjected which was how she knew the effects of the drug were now completely gone. She sat out staring at the night sky as her mind began to wander. Aldred would definitely not approve of what she did, but there was no video footage, so she'd just lie her way out of it. Dad has raised quite the crafty one. She praised herself as she began to think of her father. She was a long way from home, but she preferred it that way, only wishing her father was there with her too. Knowing him he would've have danced with her in there.

Her peace was interrupted when a large group of people began circling at the in the front lawn. A fight had broken loose and seemed to be intensifying. Nami sighed as she watched the crowd cheer on. It didn’t involve her so she wasn’t interested. It seemed even the security was struggling to break up the fight, until a familiar figure began walking through the crowd

“That’s enough.” A large shockwave went off, causing some people to fall on the floor. “I suggest you assholes leave before I run out of patience. You’re ruining the party.” Nami was immediately intrigued, but she waited until the crowd dwindled before going to scope the scene. There was no mistaking it, that shockwave came from a Mage, and once she was close enough she discovered exactly who this mage was.

Brian was about to let out a sigh before he heard his name being called. “What!?” He turned to see who it was and got immediately annoyed.

"Oh, it's you." He sighed as he saw Nami approach him.

"Tell me what happened." Nami said wanting to get straight to the point.

"You lil bitch, would it kill you to be a bit nicer!?"

"That shock wave, I wanna know what caused it.” Her facial expression remained plain which annoyed him to no end. Sucking his lips he walked past her, deciding not to entertain her antics.

“The use of magic is illegal in this city. It would be a shame if one of the big names of Rosemary were to be arrested for it.” Brian stopped and slowly turned to her.

“And what makes you think I will allow that to spread?” His eyes narrowed into a death glare as Nami stared back at him. She began walking closer and closer to him, stopping when she was close enough to feel his breath on her face.

“Because I’m not afraid of you.” Nami had an intense glare in her eyes staring back at Brian’s icy blues.

"A brawl was about to break loose. It was between that new Southerner and some other guy I don’t know, so I gave those idiots an option, either they take it far away from this place or get flattened by me, safe to say they chose the right option." He explained feeling a hint of pride. Nami took a few steps back as she began thinking.

"Do you know what started the fight?"

"Now how the fuck am I supposed to know that?!" He raised his voice at her as his frustration continued building.

"Damn, I should've known there is a limit to how useful you can be." Brian closed the distance between them before slamming Nami on the ground with his hand on her throat.

“You’re lucky, Maze told me to not go to rough tonight or else I would’ve made you red paste by now.” Nami chuckled.

“Oh Brian, you’re only holding me because I let you.” All the sudden Brian couldn’t move his arm as he had finally caught on as to what position he was in. His head wrapped between her thigh and calf as she wrapped his arm in an armbar.

She pushed him off with her leg as she picked herself up. “I’ll be taking my leave now, tell Duncan that the party was fun.” Nami began walking away, leaving a shocked and frustrated Brian looking at her back as she walked away.

______________________________________________________________

Yeah, I definitely do not belong here. Mohammed thought as he fell on the ground with a bloody nose and his aggressor looking down on him.

He was surrounded by a large group of the man's grunts. Outnumbered and with nowhere to run he stood his ground.

"Yo boss looks like this one got some balls on him." Mohammed lifted his guard to protect his face, his eyes glaring at them readily.

"We can't leave him waiting men, that's rude. We should give him what he wants, like the true gentleman we are." The boss said as he began approaching him. Mohammed threw a fist at him, but he blocked and returned with his own nailing him on his abdomen. Moe fell on his knees gasping for air. The boss wiped his fist on his shirt.

"Somebody remove this guy's sweater, its got vomit on it." Upon removing his sweater the grunt was instantly shocked at the sheer number of scars he saw all over his body. They were deep and long scratches and cuts that spread throughout his entire back and front.

"This guy's a freak!" He said once he stepped back.

"I bet whoever gave him these scars won't mind if we add our own." The boss said, producing a knife out of his pocket.

"Hold him down."

Mohammed's eyes shot open filled with rage. He felt his blood boil in his veins as he began to see red, his eyes glowing like lanterns in the dark. The henchman stepped back as his body glowed before suddenly his top half burst into flames.

"That's it. You bastards are dead." Mohammed's voice came out in an enraged whisper.

"Ah shit, he's a Mage!" The boss said as he gestured for his gang members to make a run for it.

"Where do you assholes think you're going!?" Nami shouted standing in the only escape route the thugs had. Seeing her, Mohammed's roaring flames began to dwindle back to embers.

She removed her hoodie and wrapped it around her waist, exposing the crop top she wore under it with her well toned muscles.

Without another word she approached the gang, cracking her fist. About eight of them in total. Before they could even process what was going on Nami had already begun laying waste to their numbers. In a flash three of them were flying to the wall and the rest quickly began to follow. In no more than 30 seconds all of the members except for the leader were out cold. Nami approached him slowly with a stoic look on her face. Although she was shorter than the man, he felt absolutely terrified of her. Her fists stained with the blood of his subordinates.

"I think my friend deserves an apology, or else I won't stop him from slow roasting you." Moe caught the hint and summoned a ball of fire on his hand.

"You think I'm scared of you kids? You must be stupid if you mess with..."

"The Marauders. A gang trying to make it big in the South. If that's the gang that you're affiliated with then you should know the name Ahamed Binyam." The man's face paled in shock. He gulped a big ball of spit out of fear of the name.

"You were right when you said that person wouldn't mind another scar on my body. He also wouldn't mind if a little gang like yours were to be wiped out." Moe's eyes had nothing but ferocity in them. The fiery amber glowed in the light of his flame starring deep down the man's soul.

"No wait I'm sorry! I have a sick mother and my two brothers are still in school so please don't do it!" The man bowed in fear, sweating bullets.

"Get out of my sight, before I change my mind."

The man quickly got on his feet and ran.

"For a second there I thought you were actually gonna do it." Nami said sounding relieved.

"For a second there I actually was. You said your name was Nami, right?" Nami scanned his features before answering.

"Yeah." Her expression softened when she saw the scars littered all over his body. All of them looked painful, looking like slashes and burn marks mixed together, and his skinny build made his condition look worse.

"Thanks for the save." Nami turned her back to him with her arms crossed on her chest.

"It was nothing." Her voice adopted a higher pitch when saying that.

____________________________________

Brian walked back inside the party after an extensive time of thinking outside. He walked past the dancing crowd and to a room in the furthest corner of the house. The room led to the basement where Maze and the others were relaxing.

"Did you sort the fight out?" Maze asked.

"Don't worry I doubt those light weights are coming back." Brian said confidently.

"Look whose acting cool all of the sudden." Maze teased. Brian sighed with a smile on his face and went to go sit next to his girlfriend.

"Where's Tiffany?" Brian asked, giving her a peck on the lips.

"She said she felt sick, so Duncan took her to the ladies room."

"She always drinks way more then she can handle. I swear that girl has some issues." Brian commented.

"And this is?" Brian asked, looking at the boy who sat awkwardly on the other side of the room.

"Oh, shit I forgot to introduce you guys. Brian, this is my classmate and co-parent Chris. Chris, this is my boyfriend, Brian." Chris raised his hand to say hi.

"Why are you so far away dude come over here so I could get a good look at you." Maze slapped him on the chest.

"Speak properly or you might scare him." Maze reprimanded.

Chris didn't want to be rude, so he stood up and walked towards the couple.

"You must be new then. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance." Brian said extending his fist for a fist bump.

"Good to meet you too Brian." Chris said, giving Brian a fist bump.

Maze's phone rang and when she picked it up, she saw a message from the DJ of the party.

"Sorry baby but the DJ wants to talk so I gotta go."

"C'mon babe I've been busting my ass all night trying to keep assholes in check, can't you just give me five minutes with you?" Brian asked a bit frustrated.

"Let's not do this now Brian, you will get your five minutes just wait."

"Aargh fine." Brian said, sitting on the sofa like an angry child. Maze walked out leaving the two men to each other.

"Couple drama, huh?" Chris asked in an attempt to strike up a conversation.

"Keep your dirty nose out of my business you lil shit." Brian shot back, breaking Chris's confidence. The two sat in silence as Brian chugged his Hudson's beer. After a vile 10 minutes of silence Duncan walked in with a drunken Tiffany on his shoulder.

"Let me guess, Maze left you dry?" Duncan asked as he dropped Tiffany off on the sofa across Brian.

"Shut the fuck up Duncan, I'm not in the mood." Brian said chugging more of the bitter liquid.

"You aren't doing your liver justice buddy." Duncan joked.

Brian violently stood up and held Duncan by the collar.

"I said I'm not in the mood Reynolds. So shut the fuck up!" He screamed, causing the whole room to go quiet.

"I think you've drank enough, Leclue, it'll be best if you'd let me go before I put your ass to sleep." Duncan said with a firm grip on Brian's arm.

The two men stared at each other intensely, waiting for the other to make the move.

"Guy's stop fighting." Tiffany said in a drunken slur, with her face buried deep into the cushion of the sofa.

"Nah, screw waiting I'm outta here." Brian began walking for the door with the rest of the room watching him leave. Just as he opened the door he was met with Maze staring back at him.

"Leaving so soon?" She asked and Brian sighed in response.

"Listen babe, I'm a bit tired so I think it's best I head home." Brian rubbed his eyes to get the haze out of them.

"But Brian, I worked my ass off trying to organize this party. It's the last one we'll ever get together as seniors, so can't you stay even just a little bit? Not even for me?" She asked in a very seductive tone. Only for Brian to push her off.

"It seems that every single thing I do nowadays is 'just for you. You don't even consider how I feel about the matter." Brian argued.

"Brian, you're being an asshole." Maze replied.

"Oh, now I'm being the asshole. Clearly Brian is the one at fault here." Brian exaggerated.

"Yes, you are. All of us are trying to have a memorable night with each other and yet here you are throwing a fit!" Maze shouted, getting slightly irritated with her boyfriend.

"I'm sick and tired of you not listening to me when I speak! You always do this to me!"

"Brian calm down." Maze said, trying to defuse the situation.

"I am calm. Heck, this is the calmest I've ever been! Y'know what, now that we're in the mood how about I tell you how I feel about a certain Mr. Fry."

"Don't you dare bring Mr. Fry into this. You know God damn well that he's my tutor!"

"Must be learning a lot from those 'Private lessons' then? No wonder you get straight As."

"Brian that's enough!" Duncan said as he came to stand in between the two.

"First Nami, now my girlfriend. You damn sure are Rosemary's own Jigga---" Brian was cut off by the sucker punch from Duncan.

The room went quiet as Brian was processing what just happened. He looked at Duncan first, before looking at Maze.

"Y'know what, we're done." He stormed out of the room slamming the door behind him.

__________________________________

Brian stood in East Grand venue's backyard staring deep at the pool. He took a big swig at the bottle of beer he had in his hand trying to wash out the pain he felt in his heart and the rage that accompanied it. He emptied the bottle's contents and angrily threw it to the wall and it shattered on impact. For a second everything went quiet. The wind stopped whistling, the trees were still and the background noises coming from the party ceased.

You're so fucking pathetic. He thought to himself.

He stood there looking at his reflection. Wondering how it got to this point. He untied his bun and let his hair fall to the sides of his face and then suddenly he felt someone's hands wrap around his waist. A warm embrace from behind. The wind whistled past him blowing some of his hair out of his line of sight. His hands clasped on the stranger which only made the stranger tighten their grip. It became obvious as to who it was.

Placing his hand on the person's hand he whispered. "You don't need to make me feel better, Tiffany." A light smile slowly painted his face

"I love you." A long silence fell between them before Brian spoke up.

"No Tiffany, she's your friend. We can't do this." Brian's tone was gentle, as if it was trying to comfort her.

"Yet you'd do it with some random cheerleader!?" She sobbed. Brian gritted his teeth, remembering that day.

"That's different Tiffany, I wasn't myself." He defended.

"Nobody knows you better than I do? You used to tell me everything before she came along. Now you won't even tell me how you feel? I just confessed to you, Dumbass!" Her grip around his waist had softened up and Brian used that as an opportunity to turn around to face her. His icy blue eyes fell upon hers, staring deep into her soul, but Tiffany couldn't help but feel secure in his arms. He noticed that she was still intoxicated but the look in her eyes was sincere.

"I didn't mean to push you away. It's just things couldn't stay the same between us anymore, I wanted her to trust me, I wanted to make her happy." Brian whispered the last part, feeling a sting of pain in his chest after saying it.

"You wasted your time!" Tiffany said harshly. Brian was surprised by her sudden outburst.

"You focused so hard on making her happy. You... You forgot about me." She said, dropping her head to his chest.

He lifted her head by the chin so that their eyes would meet. Slowly he closed the distance between their lips. Stopping only millimeters away. She tilted her head closer, catching his lips on hers. Brian's grip tightened as he tried to pull her closer. Pulling away from her, he whispered ever so gently. "I'm sorry."

Tiffany smiled and just as he was about to kiss her again, she pushed him off of her and with one misstep his body fell backwards, he tried to catch himself but the floor he fell on was nothing but the pool of water below him. He quickly swam up feeling the cold shock of water all over his body. He was completely soaked.

"The fuck was that for!" He shouted as his body reacted to the sudden change in temperature. Tiffany giggled relentlessly.

"Oh God did you see your face. You were so serious and then boom! Splash! You're cold!" She laughed maniacally. Not noticing how close she was to the water. Seeing the opportunity Brian pounced and pulled her in the frigid water.

"HOOOLLY SHIT THAT'S COLDDDD!!!" She said as she swam up.

"Bitch that's what you get." Brian said with a vengeful tone.

"BRIAN!!" She shouted splashing water at him.

Brian splashed water back at her. This went on back and forth until Brian grabbed her from under the water and suplexed her back in.

"OKAY...Okay UNCLE!" She shouted as she tried swimming away from him. They both exploded in laughter.

"Ahh shit. How am I supposed to explain this to my parents?" He asked still in a fit of laughter.

"Noo. Don't go!" Tiffany said swimming into his arms. She wrapped herself around him with her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.

"Well then if you want me to stay.... make me." Brian said in a sly tone.

Tiffany smiled at the challenge and planted her lips on his.

Brian's vision was blurry, and he felt out of breath, but he was able to see a silhouette of someone standing in the distance. His vision cleared only slightly but it was enough to cause his eyes to burst open at the realization of who it was.

Maze stood there with her mouth a gape. A dead look in her usually cheery eyes. Everything stood still for her, every sound or movement was completely still. The only sound that was remotely present to her was the slow beating of her breaking heart.