The house was rocking. Balloons of many colors littered the room. Streamers were hanging from the ceiling. Talk, laughter, and music filled the air. A group of teenagers were dancing in the living room. Others walked around the snack table loading their plates with chips, cookies, and party favors.

In the middle of the room, near the piano, stood the birthday girl, Sarah, surrounded by her friends. A tall girl with long brown hair and bangs stood out in her sparkly dress that glittered in the party lights. She was staring at Roxy.

"Hey, bestie!" Sarah said, smiling brightly. With a snarky look in her eyes, she turned to Lou "And you must be Boo, I suppose."

Lou turned beet red. "I guess my reputation precedes me." He handed her the neatly wrapped present, feeling a bit awkward about this interaction. "Happy birthday, Sarah. I hope you like it. Also nice to meet you as well."

But Nate was squirming. “Uh, I, um… I forgot to bring a present, Why didn’t you tell me?” Stuttering, he looked around like he wanted a way out.

Lou rolled his eyes, nudging Nate. "You can always teleport back home and grab something."

Nate’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Yeah. I’ll be right back. I’ve got something in my truck.” With a snap of his fingers, he vanished. A little breeze appeared where he had been, stirring Sarah’s hair. Sarah stared after him and laughed. “Whoa! That’s awesome! I wish I could do that.”

Lou scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, he's pretty handy to have around."

Just then, Nate reappeared, holding a potted flower. "Hi, I'm Nate by the way." He handed the flower to Sarah. "It's, um, a special plant from my mom's garden. " It was a pretty orchid, the dirt was still fresh on the pot.

Sarah's eyes widened in delight. "This is really beautiful, thank you! I've always wanted an orchid! It's so nice to meet you guys, you are so kind. You didn't have to bring anything."

As this chat was going on, Nate became the center of attention. Guests surrounded him, asking questions and marveling at his teleportation ability. Nate gave Lou a pleading look as he was drawing all the attention he didn't want. But Lou laughed and whispered, "Just be yourself."

This gave Lou and Roxy some much-needed alone time. Roxy led Lou to a quieter corner of the room, where the music was less deafening, and they could talk more easily. "So, how's it going, Boo? I'm so glad you came."

Lou chuckled, feeling more at ease. "Not bad actually. It's really a fun party even though I don't know anyone here. After my disastrous birthday party, I guess I can have fun at any party."

"Nooo, what happened on your birthday?" Roxy asked with a sympathetic look in her eyes.

Lou, without any expression on his face, replied "I fell on my birthday cake..."

Roxy's eyes widened in disbelief as she gave Lou a playful shove with both hands. "Get out of here!"

Lou staggered slightly from the push, laughing. "Unfortunately, yes... And my entire family laughed at me. Luckily, there weren't any kids my age around."

Roxy struggled to contain her laughter, a grin spreading across her face. "Boo, maybe your power really does fit you like a glove, huh?"

Lou didn't know how to respond to that. Silence seemed like the best option. What was he supposed to feel about this? Who would want the Power of Cringe to suit them? He thought to himself. To distract himself, he scanned the party. Sarah had way more friends at her birthday party than relatives. "I wish my birthday was like this," he blurted out.

Roxy looked intrigued yet she tried to make him laugh. "Why do you say that? Because Sarah hasn't face-planted into her cake yet?"

Lou sighed, his gaze drifting to the floor. "It's not that. There was a reason I didn't have any friends at my birthday party. Some things happened, and now the whole school is basically against me. I haven't spoken to my closest friend in a very long time... I'm not exactly ready to face it all yet."

"Oh, so we’re trauma dumping now, huh? Don’t even get me started buddy." She said as she giggled awkwardly.

Lou felt a warmth spread through him at her words. "Um, I…” Lou was speechless. After a moment of pause, he spoke "I think I should go find Nate.”

Roxy panicked “Oh, wait. I didn’t mean to offend you. I was just being silly. Don’t go, Boo. I just wanted to lighten the mood.”

Lou felt hurt but tried to keep his cool. “Nah, you’re right. We’re here to have fun. I shouldn’t be a party pooper.”

Roxy opened her mouth but before she could speak the lights flickered and then went down. The crowd of partygoers surged around Sarah to look at her cake. The towering candles wavered and flickered, standing like a miniature forest of sugar and wax on the sweet-smelling cake. Sarah closed her eyes and made a wish. She blew out the candles. Everyone stood in stunned silence as they anticipated her power.

Suddenly, a faint glow surrounded Sarah. She opened her eyes, and a look of confusion crossed her face. "Uh, guys? I think my power has just been activated."

A soft, barely noticeable aura shimmered around her. The guests began to murmur, some chuckling softly. Lou recognized it as a classic case of a disappointing power manifestation. He could see Sarah's eyes start to glisten with tears, the excitement of the moment fading into embarrassment.

Roxy quickly understood that something was wrong with her best friend, in a sympathetic voice she said "Poor Sarah, it looks like she got a bad power."

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From the crowd, a few voices started to heckle. "Hey, Sarah, what's your power?" "Yeah, show us what you got!" The questions came rapid-fire, their tones were curious.

Sarah's face turned red as she tried to back away from the attention. Lou felt a pang of sympathy and knew he had to do something. He turned to Roxy, a determined look on his face. "I think it's time to ruin another birthday cake."

Roxy raised an eyebrow but when she understood his motives she smiled and gave him a supportive nod. She understood what he was about to do. "Go get 'em, Boo."

Lou took a deep breath and stepped forward, raising his voice to catch everyone's attention. "Hey everyone! I’m Lou but you may know my stage name Fab-o-Lou-s! Let's get this party started!"

With a dramatic flourish, Lou deliberately tripped over the edge of the carpet. His arms flailed comically, and he staggered forward, making a beeline for the cake. He reached the table and missed and fell face-first into the cake.

Everyone held their breath for a moment. He could hear someone saying “Oh my god, is he okay?” A girl answered the question “What even was that?”

Lou lifted his head. Cake, frosting, and sweet, pink icing covered his hair and face. He struck a pose, winking at the onlookers. Lou’s laughter sounded genuinely insane.

“Who invited him?” “Yeah man, he ruined the cake.” “My mom worked on that cake for 3 hours.” People were annoyed but felt sad for him at the same time.

Everyone was even more shocked when they heard Sarah giggle, wiping away her tears. The guests who had been curious about her power were now focused entirely on Lou, their earlier taunts forgotten.

Lou felt the familiar tingle as his Cringe Progression Bar filled up. He smiled inwardly, knowing he had achieved his goal.

Roxy helped Lou to his feet, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Nice move, Boo. That was epic." The crowd slowly went back to the party. Some were gossiping about the incident while others were still salty about the cake. Still, most were too tipsy to care.

Sarah, now smiling again, came over and gave Lou a hug. "Thank you, Lou. That was really sweet of you. How did you know I needed a distraction?"

Lou grinned, feeling a sense of accomplishment. "No problem, Sarah. I just turned 18 and got something called 'Power of Cringe'. I know that look of disappointment when a power isn't what you hoped for... I was devastated as well. But even though you might have heard it a thousand times, 'Whatever it is, you can find a way to make it work.' Trust me."

Roxy stepped in, placing a reassuring hand on Sarah's shoulder. "Yeah, bestie, I agree with Lou on this one. Also, you can share your power with us. I'm sure it is not that bad."

Sarah sighed, looking a bit embarrassed. "I got the ability to distinguish every smell. I mean, what good is that going to do?"

Nate, overhearing the conversation while congratulating Lou with a pat on the back, jumped in. "Hey, that was classic, Lou!" He then turned to Sarah. "Distinguishing every smell? That’s actually pretty cool! You could become an amazing chef or a top-notch gourmet critic."

Sarah's eyes lit up slightly, considering the possibilities. "You really think so?"

Lou nodded enthusiastically. "Absolutely. Every power has its use. You just need to find the right way to use it."

Roxy smiled, squeezing Sarah's hand. "See? You'll find your way. And I know you love baking... Think of all the possibilities."

Just then, one of the teens at the party called out, "Hey Fab-o-Lou-s, what other tricks do you have for us?"

Lou grinned, stepping back from Sarah and Roxy. "Looks like the crowd needs me. Time to see what else I can do." With a wink to his friends, he headed towards the center of the room, ready to entertain and embrace his cringe.

Nate with a spark in his eyes said "He is starting to believe."

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As the day went on, the party grew livelier. The music resumed and people were dancing into the night. Lou also felt lighter and more carefree than he had since… well, since the Evan incident. Roxy danced beside him, laughing. But Lou couldn’t help but avoid her subtly.

At one point, Sarah pulled Lou aside, her eyes shining with gratitude. "Lou, I just wanted to thank you again. You really saved me there. Maybe you could have done it in a more conventional way so that we could still have cake, but that was okay too. Now I can tell why she invited you."

Lou smiled, feeling a warmth spread through him. "It was nothing, really. I'm glad I could help…” As Sarah smiled and started to walk away, Lou stopped her “But I don’t know why Roxy invited me. She was giving me the cold shoulder earlier today.”

“Oh, she has a dry sense of humor. People can think that about her sometimes. I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding. “

The party carried on to the night. Although the other youngsters at the party made fun of Lou, he didn't feel ashamed. He embraced each moment, knowing that he did the right thing in his style. Maybe most of them thought of him as a clown. But that wasn't important at that moment.

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As the party wound down, Lou found himself sitting outside on the porch, gazing up at the stars. Roxy joined him, sitting close enough that their shoulders brushed.

"Hey," she said softly.

Lou looked at her, a mix of emotions swirling within him. "Hey."

Roxy hesitated, then took a deep breath. "Lou, I'm really sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to make light of your situation. I just... didn't know what to say. I'm not very good at handling serious stuff, I guess."

Lou shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "It's okay, Roxy. I know you didn't mean any harm."

Roxy hesitated, then continued, "It's just... you seemed a little down, and I wanted to lighten the mood. But I guess I went about it the wrong way."

Lou nodded, appreciating her honesty. "I guess I just wanted to get that off my chest. I may have been unfair to you. And I acted too sensitive."

Roxy leaned closer, her voice barely a whisper. "Well, if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here to listen. No jokes, no teasing, just... an open ear."

Lou felt a warmth spread through him at her words. He had never been one to open up that easily, but there was something about Roxy that made him feel safe, like he could trust her with his secrets. But he decided it was better to keep it to himself for now.

"Thanks, Roxy," he said, his voice barely audible. "I appreciate that."

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the stars twinkling above them. Finally, Roxy broke the silence. "So, did you get any stronger tonight? That's how your gift works, right?"

"Let me check it!" said Lou as he focused for a moment, his mind zeroing in on the familiar sensation of the System interface. A translucent screen appeared before his eyes, showing his current stats and progress. His heart skipped a beat as he saw the notification:

LEVEL UP! You are now Level 10.

New Skill Unlocked: Cringe Aura

Cringe Aura: This passive skill grants you Cringe EXP based on how low your charisma is. When people around you find you cringe-worthy, you gain Cringe EXP. The lower your charisma, the more easily you earn Cringe EXP. This allows you to accumulate Cringe EXP effortlessly, simply by being in the presence of others.

Lou's eyes widened as he read the description. He glanced at Roxy, a mix of excitement and apprehension in his gaze. "Roxy, I just leveled up to 10. And I unlocked a new skill... Cringe Aura."

Roxy raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Cringe Aura? What does that do?"

Lou explained, trying to keep his voice steady. "It means that the lower my charisma, the more I can make people cringe just by being around them. It's a passive skill that lets me gain Cringe EXP without doing anything specific."

Roxy's eyes twinkled with amusement and admiration. "That's incredible, Boo! You’re getting stronger. See, you helped Sarah and got something in return."

Just then, Nate stumbled over, looking a bit tipsy but grinning widely. "Hey, you guys! This party is amazing! I've been teleporting all over the world bringing snacks and stuff! But I'm a little overwhelmed."

Lou chuckled, shaking his head. "Glad you're having fun, Nate. I told you that you're gonna be okay, didn't I?"

Roxy smiled at Nate, then turned back to Lou. "I guess it's time for me to head out. We should do this again sometime."

Lou nodded, feeling a bit of disappointment but also looking forward to seeing Roxy again. "Definitely. Thanks for everything tonight, Roxy."

Roxy gave Lou a warm hug. "Anytime, Boo. Take care, okay?"

Lou returned the hug, feeling grateful for her support. "You too, Roxy."

Roxy waved goodbye and walked off, leaving Lou with Nate. Nate slung an arm around Lou's shoulders, still grinning. "So, what's next, Fab-o-Lou-s?"

Lou laughed, feeling a sense of contentment. "Let's just call it a night? I'm really tired."

Nate, with a mischievous smile, grabbed Lou's shoulder and yelled, "Buckle up then!"

Lou protested and yelled, "NooOOooo!" but his voice echoed into dimensions as they disappeared.