Just Dance

[BlizzardeyeWonder]

Her name was the hand that grabbed her shoulder and turned her around, to see Ace waving and giggling. Though, Mei was a nickname, right? Not her actual name? What's in a name, really? A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet. Meilin wondered if she smelled sweet- she didn't wear perfume so it would probably be from soap or shampoo or something. Damn, she should have asked Lucas while she had the chance.

But yeah, Ace was there and oh boy where'd his shirt go? She had to admit years of playing football paid off, but she quickly brushed that aside as she waved back to him.

"Sure is!" she responded, adding in a giggle of her own, before making her way closer so she wouldn't have to yell.

Another question of questionable importance still hung in the air though. With a little quizzical tilt of the head and the light twinkling in her eye, she asked-

"Say, you never said if you needed a ride."

A quick glance told her the answer would probably be yes. She didn't know Ace was the kind to do that, but hey.

[Buko]

Keepitcoolkeepitcoolkeepitcoolkeepitcoolkeeitcoolkeeitcookeetco...

These aren't even words anymore! Pull it together! You texted her!

Shit.Think.Shit.Think.Shit.Think.Shit.Think.Shit.Think.

Think.

Think.

STOP THINKING AND SPEAK MOTHERFUCKER!

He grinned at Meilin and tried to stop dancing in place, his left leg kept shaking, it wasn't crazy--but he couldn't think of anything else. He didn't want to be like a panicky weirdo, in front of Meilin no less, but at the same time whatever nervousness and inhibitions he felt were quickly being shut down by a confidence and eagerness he was unfamiliar and skeptical of.

Was there such a thing as feeling too happy?

He guessed he was finding out.

"I'd love a ride! Sounds fun! We can stop at Waffle House and get breakfast late at night! I love breakfast for dinner--or like late late second dinner, you get me! I like havin' waffles and bacon and then like a big ass slice of chocolate pie, people get weirded out if you do that at breakfast though!"

He was babbling, what else was new?

"You tryin' to get outta here then? I think everybody is playin' Never Have I Ever or somethin, but I bounced," he started giggling, "Drinking games ain't my bag. Weeeeeeeeeeird viiiiiiiiiiibes over there, call it Ace Intuition!"

He paused and leaned in closer to her....

"I'm on drugs Meilin...", he whispered with a degree of fear in his voice, "And I can't. Stop. Dancing."

[BlizzardeyeWonder]

Meilin found herself a little bit startled at Ace's erratic behaviour even before he dropped the bomb that he was, indeed, on drugs. She really should have expected that- though what drugs he was on, she wasn't entirely sure of. Did they have a unit on drugs in health class once? Something something stimulants, depressives, and hallucinogenics. Well this was definitely a stimulant. What were some stimulant drugs?

...caffeine?

Nah.

But you know, it was starting to get a bit late, and Ace would certainly need a ride home. Plus you know what? Waffle House at some time around midnight sounded like a great plan, a lovely place to drive her high as all hell boy that-is-a-friend and have pre-breakfast. Or post-dinner. Who knows?

"...Yannow, getting out of here and going to Waffle House sounds like a great plan!" she said with a smile, and an understanding nod. "Chocolate cake, bacon, whatever. Just say the word and we'll go."

Of course, looking at those fancy feet of his made her wonder if she'd have to restrain him to get him to the car at all. Maybe kinda like a football carry? Nice! Was she even using her sports metaphors right?

---

[Camilla Bell continued from The Mascara Snake]

Fuck Camilla Bell's life. She regretted everything. The thing she regretted most was getting off that freaking amazing luxury rich person bed. Doing weed after drinking more than half a beer bottle was a close second, though. The third was drinking at all. Bert was right, that was piss water right there. Though piss was water, right? Bad thought. Very bad. Bert may have been right about beer, but did that mean she was right about weed?

The thunk Camilla's nose made as she rammed into a wall again told her "no".

Rubbing her nose, she continued to wander the mansion. The unpleasant thought of how she was supposed to get home haunted her as her usually rigid posture slid down the scale of rigidity. Perhaps that was weighing her down. If this went on too long, she might just become a hunchback. Wouldn't that be a tragedy? Maybe she'd get one of those table-cane thingies and be the little old lady the good guys help across the street. Wouldn't that be a grand destiny?

The holy grail. A couch. In all of its pillowy, feathery (did they use feathers in pillows anymore?), smotheringly soft glory. It seemed there was a person standing near it, but that person was basically just a blur as Camilla allowed her face to fall flat onto the couch. She could lie there forever, just wow.

[Endellion]

[ Julien Leblanc continued from Party Freaks of Nature ]

"Well, it's good to see you enjoying your fill of revelry too."

It was more of a surprise to actually see her in this state than to imagine that she could wind up in it. Camilla was remarkably restrained most of the time, so it made sense that she would unravel when she had the opportunity to unwind. Of course, that did come with its downsides.

"Though by the look of you, I suspect you've overindulged." Julien sipped from a bottle of water he'd picked up, all too grateful now that Claudeson had brought a cooler full of them so they could proliferate through the house or just be found directly from him if need be. No more alcohol for him from this point on. "Would you care for some help there?"

[BlizzardeyeWonder]

Camilla's mouth was agape as her face was pressed against the cushions, but she did not quite scream into them while freaking out about the journey home. How's that for self control?

Any screaming-adjacent behaviour stopped as soon as she realized that the weird person talking to her some way away was Julien. Would he mind her asking for a ride? She figured that he might want an explanation, though. And what was he implying by saying she overindulged? Camilla was an upstanding teenage girl who knew her limits and stopped smoking soon enough to not permanently wreck her brain. Maybe. Hopefully... And she did agree to smoke with an objectively cute stranger after drinking. Okay, maybe Camilla wasn't exactly an after-school special paragon, but could you blame her?

Yes.

She groaned as she lifted her head off the couch so she wouldn't accidentally smother herself. The air in the room felt sharply crowded and stiffing as she breathed it in, and her eyelids felt similarly rigid, and heavy.

"Overindulged?" she sighed, muttering and mumbling through her words. Again, the memory of those tendrils of smoke scraped at her mouth.

"Did I ever," she shamefully admitted. "I was just aboutta finish a bottle of beer when some girl about three apples tall called Bert asked 'wanna try smoking' and it seemed like a good idea at the second."

[Endellion]

"No matter. Happens to the best of us."

That would explain the state she was in at the moment. Good for her, really. While there was a certain merit to taking everything in moderation, sometimes that included moderation itself. And if someone needed a little help picking themselves up, well, what were friends for if not that?

"Well, say the word and I'll do what I can," Julien said, his voice deliberately kept just enough on the low side since it wasn't out of the question for Camilla to have a headache or something of the sort. "Got water if you feel like it. Or I could just get you out of here. Like I said, whatever you need."

[Buko]

Ace really wished he was capable of some profound thought...

Some crazy as fuck revelation...

A part of his mind wished he was more courageous, as Meilin spoke. It was probably the MDMA, definitely the MDMA, but just looking at her made him feel light in the chest and he felt something bubbling in his core and could've sworn steam was coming out of his ears. There were girls that were prettier than Meilin, or at least that people thought were prettier than Meilin--Ace disagreed but he didn't really speak up. There were aspects of her personality that he found beautiful--she was resilient, she was optimistic and she had a world view (in Ace's mind) that leaned towards positivity. Ace wanted to get as much of that positive thinking from her as possible! The way she carried herself even when things got tough...he wished he could absorb some of that through osmosis or whatever.

In the kitchen he had been worried about people knowing he was high...

He felt relief that Meilin knew, almost like she was a partner in crime--and the fact that she was willing to indulge in his craziness made him feel strong and charming and cool in ways that his heart and mind fought in unison to keep him from feeling. He felt safe with her, he felt like a little kid. He liked it, a lot.

"Ahhhh!!! You're the best!!!"

He stopped dancing...

He really wished he was capable of stopping himself.

He wasn't--blame the MDMA.

He gave Meilin a big bear hug, she felt very small in his arms, very light and he spun around with her close to him. After that one spin, he sat her down and quickly gave her a light kiss on each cheek and then motioned to grab her hand as he tried to head towards the entrance.

"Let's go! Your carriage awaits--uh, even though you're the one driving it--whatever! Carriages, waiting, let's go!"

Her hand felt warm in his palm...

It did well to contrast the shiver down his spine.

Fuckin' MDMA...never again!

...

Well, never say never.

[BlizzardeyeWonder]

"Woah-!"

Meilin almost instinctively clung to the first thing she could find upon being picked up and spun around by Ace- which, conveniently enough, was Ace himself. It only mildly helped, as she was a bit too shocked and dizzy to really register the not one, but two kisses on the cheek she received. Whatever Ace was taking, it didn't seem to drown out his self! I mean, drugs don't make you act like someone else, they make you a different version of you. She had to say, she'd rather Ace be sober and safe, but this... was not a bad surprise!

With a laugh at the whole situation, she gladly took his hand (it was even bigger and bearier to the touch! But without the bear hair, that would be weird) and walked beside him, as they headed to the entrance.

"To our carriage, Prince Ortega!" she cheerfully declared. She wondered, would that make her a princess...? Though since when did a princess drive their own carriage? Also carriage drivers were servants and things between servants and princes were- okay that was a thought for another day. Now, they had places to be. Like Waffle House, so they can have breakfast for dinner!

As they were walking, Meilin had time to think. She liked Ace, she really did. The wide smile on her face as they dodged other partygoers hand in hand was evidence enough of that. Plus, she had reason to assume he felt the same way. Say, when was the last time she asked a boy out? She honestly couldn't remember it, was that a bad thing? It wasn't that Nick or Lucas didn't mean anything to her, it's just... well, those weren't overly serious. She knew exactly what those two boys were like, and what to expect from them. Ace, on the other hand? That was a different story. Yeah, she knew what to expect- but it was different from the way she normally went about things. Her approach would have to be something she wasn't used to.

That being said, extant feelings or no, she'd probably have to wait until he was sober to get a proper discussion about this sort of thing going. So, she resolved to wait until a good, non-eventful weekend.

[Meilin Zhou continued elsewhere]

---

"Oh? Uh, thanks..."

She had a way home. Wouldn't Julien need the address though? In her current state she didn't quite trust herself to give an accurate reading off memory. Sighing, she wondered if she should just risk it- then she remembered, that her wallet had her address. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the small, plain thing, then opened it. Sure enough, her home address was there, written on a paper in the display... and so was Aunt Caroline's. Now there was a dilemma. Should she go home to her bed, but risk running into her mom, who may not approve? Or should she just crash at Auntie's, but be assured that she wouldn't judge her?

Well, the paper was folded in order to fit into that display, and part of Auntie's address got cut off by the fold. With enough time, her erratically shaking hands were able to unzip the compartment and take the small slip out. With the help of one other finger, she was able to unfold it and reveal the address, only for her to drop it. In the scramble to pick it up, Camilla revealed the other side- it was a tiny photo of herself, when she was 9 years old, holding a bag of popcorn bigger than her head.

Once Camilla got a good look at the picture, she started to remember the circumstances it was taken in. Dad decided to take her out for a movie, just the two of them, and she insisted on bringing a big popcorn bag... why, again? Oh yes, to make sure there was some left for Auntie.
That night, after they'd returned, Camilla would try and fall asleep to screaming coming from the living room. Mom said something about Dad not supporting her and Auntie, Dad accused her of being disinterested in parenting. The argument ended with the slamming of a door, then silence.
But before that, Dad had tucked her into bed with the normal "Love you" "Love you too" exchange. Later that became the ending to all their calls- until for some reason, Camilla couldn't say it anymore, and which point she switched to "See you later."

When was the last time she told either of her parents she loved them, again?
What about Auntie?
Has she ever mentioned to her wonderful gardening club friends that she loved them?

She shouldn't break down over this. Camilla was better than that.

Her palms pressed against her face, maybe if she pushed against her eyes enough the tears would go back. With every failure, another ugly, undignified sob.

[Buko]

Ah...this ain't so bad...

It's actually nice...really nice...I could get used to this...

Yeah. It's really nice, things, at this moment? Things are exactly like they should be.

Hey, wait, is that my tanktop? When did I put it there? Shit.

Should I stop and get it?

...

And stop holding her hand--to put on that sweaty thing?

Enjoy the gift Forrest.

((Beats, Continued In: Cat's in the Cradle))

[Endellion]

The emotion bomb wasn't one that Julien had been expecting to be caught up in when he came to S— No, that didn't sound quite right to him any more. It was Forrest's party; plastering your name over something was a mark of vanity, and a stupid way to try and claim it as your own besides. So he found himself quite content not to meet the supposed architect of it all.

Attention turning back to Camilla, he plucked the slip off the floor and gave it a once-over. Julien took care not to dwell on the photo for her for long, focusing on the addresses written down on the back instead. He could reach either one well enough without getting lost on the way, a small blessing at least. Of course, which one she actually wanted to go to was the more important question.

"If you need to cry, take all the time you need," she took up most of the couch she was splayed out on, but fortunately there was enough space for him to sit down, "and if you need to talk, I'll listen. I don't, ah... I don't think this is the best place to do it, but I'm not going to rush you. So just tell me where you want to go when you feel ready."

Julien couldn't just make whatever had unsettled her so go away, and he wasn't blind enough to assume so. But hopefully he could help.

[BlizzardeyeWonder]

True to Julien's offer (was it an offer?) Camilla kept sobbing, even as she sat up, rubbing her head. It was then she realized he was also sitting on the couch with her, always there to lend a helping hand. That reminded her, shouldn't she remind Julien that he too is a dear friend that she values more than a quick ride home? It was the only fair, moral thing to do.

So, she suddenly grabbed him and pulled him close to her, placing his head under her chin- easy with how tall she was- and hugged him tightly. Of course she kept crying, what else was she supposed to do? Even if it was all making her head throb a bit, but that was probably the fault of having beer and then weed, not crying.

"Have I mentioned I love you?" she asked in between sobs, and desperate grabs for air. To be fair, hugging someone probably didn't help.

"And Declyn, and Drew, and all of them," she continued. "I haven't told you that enough."

[Endellion]

A surprise, to say the least. But a pleasant one, all things considered.

Julien returned the hug; it felt the most appropriate thing to do. Far be it from him to leave the chance that she might feel herself flailing out in the cold. She, of all people, certainly didn't deserve that. Part of it was also that she was latched a little more firmly into him than he would have thought her capable of at a glance.

But he really didn't mind.

"If you feel that's so, perhaps you should tell them."

[Primrosette]

Adonis was feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything and he needed to take a break somewhere. Even if it was still loud and noisy in this direction. He had been looking for Emmett after he had failed to find Declyn to talk to him. Now Emmett was not where Adonis remembered he was. He wondered if Emmett had left without him. No, Emmett would not leave without him, Emmett might have a bad temper but he never would leave without Adonis even if he did want to.

He felt a bit guilty about dragging Emmett with him and then leaving him to find Declyn. He had wanted Emmett to have some fun and he wondered if it had happened at all. Now he was just wandering around the house aimlessly with nothing to do and no one to talk to.

His glass of water was getting knocked a little by people bumping into him with their elbows and hands and he just politely made his way around them. Then he saw someone that he knew through Declyn and he saw that it was Camilla. She was hugging someone and as he got closer; he saw that it was Julien. Not that he was close to the guy, but he seemed like an okay guy.

"Hey, you two. I'm not interrupting anything right now, am I?" He asked with a gentle smile as he looked down at them and he took a quick sip of his water. "Can I join you guys in the hugging party?" He was teasing in a playful manner as he thought that they would be cool with it and he then noticed Camilla was crying. Whoops. He was a bit slow in noticing that.

[BlizzardeyeWonder]

"I will, I wi-"

Someone was here.

Camilla blinked. It only slightly helped her waterlogged image of the person standing there, by the couch. Did it really matter who it was, though? He asked if he was interrupting, and she wondered what a proper answer would be in such a situation. She mouthed the simple answer- no. Was it that simple, though? Perhaps one could say that whathisface interrupted her crying.

Did she have to let him interrupt her crying?

The fact that she promptly burst out wailing, tears dribbling down her cheek again, was enough of answer. Right? She clung to Julien even more tightly as she did so.

[blastinus]

(Jeff Greene taking a small break from Dare You Enter My Magical Realm.

No seriously, read that, otherwise this will make absolutely no sense.)

The sound of pounding beats clued Jeff in to where the dancing was. He couldn’t say for certain that this was the most crowded room in the party, but it would just have to do. It certainly looked crowded enough.

The knot in his stomach tightened the closer he came. He’d replayed the song a couple more times, but he knew for sure that he wasn’t ready. He could be at this for two weeks and not be ready. The words just weren’t sticking, even with the lyrics in front of him.

Where would he even set up? You could barely hear yourself in this noise explosion, let alone someone else. He saw an unmanned sound system up on a makeshift stage, probably just playing on a loop or something.

Well, if he was going to be heard, that would have to go. Stepping up onto the stage, he looked at the setup and concluded that he had no idea how to turn it off, so he’d just have to do the next best thing. Finding where the speakers were plugged in, he reached over and calmly, yet firmly, yanked the wires. A loud pop sounded from the speakers, but the music kept playing, albeit significantly quieter. Much better.

Having ensured that every friggin’ eye would be on him, Jeff stared down at his phone, where the lyrics were displayed front and center. Might as well get this over with.

“You’re insecure, don’t know what for,” he began in the tone of a robot with a dying voicebox. “You’re turning heads when you walk through the door.” He recalled that the original singer did it more like “do-o-or” but there was no way he was doing a re-take. Just soldier on through this mess.

“Don’t need makeup to cover up. Being the way you are is enough...” He suddenly realized something and his voice went to normal as he said, “Wait, they rhymed up with up? And enough doesn’t even...The heck is this?”

As he droned his way to the chorus, he began to realize that he was going to have to raise his voice. He scrambled to think of how he was going to do that, and he eventually settled on volume.

“BABY,” he bellowed, “YOU LIGHT UP MY WORLD LIKE NOBODY ELSE...”

He was just doing this for a Dare. It didn’t have to be pretty. He just had to do it.