We Like To Party

"Well... I couldn't say you were my favorite person at first but I never really approved of everything my buds did either." Everyone had certainty changed over time. Still, Adrian had been the only one to remain a friend. Cecilia was distant and Heather... She didn't touch that ordeal but was hurt by what she did to her brother in their last meeting.

"Were." Bonnie assessed with a grin as Taylor went off for that drink part of her wondering when it was a good time to have that talk or something that Clyde wanted her to have with Taylor. Either way, Bonnie was just about to find a chair before... This cute little guy with sandy blonde hair asked her if she danced. Bonnie blinked for a sec before she scoped him out. He was a cutey! Such adorable eyes and strong presence! This body had Bonnie blushing a bit before she grinned widely.

"I do now! C'MON, BOY!" Bonnie exclaimed, putting her drink down to grab Jacob by the hand and drag him to the dance floor, not at all recalling the last time a boy this handsome had approached her, but she wasn't turning it down!

"I didn't say I did!" Jacob protested as he trailed behind the blonde girl.

Of course, he did dance, just not usually to Justin Timberlake. He was markedly less out of place than his sister, who had to be controlled by Jess after attempting something reminiscent of the macarena, and all things considered it was a small price to pay for getting to make time with a gorgeous, blonde, American girl.


Taylor slowed as she approached the table that held the drinks, bottles on top and beer in a cooler underneath, but had second thoughts and kept going. Maybe tonight wasn't a good night for her to drink after all.

She went unnoticed up the stairs and back to the kitchen. Maybe some more pineapple-coconut juice would do the trick. She should have something healthy. Now more than ever she couldn't afford to let her guard down.

She opened the fridge and stood in front of it like a deer in headlights, blankly staring inside without seeing anything. Maybe she wasn't even thirsty.

She rubbed the back of her neck where she carried all her tension and let the fridge door close. Her bare feet were cold on the tile floor. Her bare shoulders were cold in her tight, racerback, Superman tank top. Her ripped, punky jeans didn't help any. Maybe she needed to just go to the gym for a minute.

"Ah!" She gasped in surprise when she turned and realized that she wasn't alone. She consciously reminded herself that there was a party going on. She composed herself and put on a smile for the familiar girl in the entryway.

"Hey."

"Hey Taylor."

Ace replied, smiling back, holding a glass of water in her hands. Wearing her favorite Helloween T-shirt and jeans, one almost couldn't tell that she, like Taylor, had taken some heavy damage at Avalanche.

Raising her glass, she took a drink before motioning to her host.

"I've been hanging up here a little bit...would've come downstairs sooner but...well, you remember last time I was here and all....Oh! Uh, congrats on winning the belt. I saw that match you had with Angel, that was pretty brutal..."

She said, leaning against the nearby wall, feeling a little awkward to be here again.

"Thanks," Taylor said, and let her eyes drift off to her black sweatshirt draped over the back of her chair at the kitchen table. She grabbed it and slung it over her shoulder. "Do you like my souvenir?"

She turned her head to the side and tilted it to show off her new, less perfect, less attractive, flatter, slightly crooked nose, courtesy of Angel. "Isn't it gross? I feel like I should have a bag over my head."

She seemed to remember her manners and started toward Ace to usher the girl farther inside. "Well, come in and junk. There's a party. You've already got a drink, and there's food downstairs and stuff. We're just hanging out, nothing big. Um..." She paused, and faced Ace head on to look her in the eye. "Sorry about Avalanche. I haven't seen your match, but saw the results. That's the Entropy title, though, man. I defended it once against that one girl, and that was it. I don't think... Ya know, I don't think you can get too attached to belts."

"Eh, its not too bad overall. Besides, it builds character, right?"

Ace glared, looking Taylor in the eyes as she offered her sympathy, crossing her arms, her Avalanche match still clearly a sore talking point for her.

"Thanks, I guess. I'm not done with it yet though, not by a long shot. Maybe you right about not getting attached, but watch that match sometime, and see if your not as pissed off about it as I am once you see that bullshit.

She shook her head, taking another sip of her water.

"Sorry...I'll calm down. I won't cause an issue like last time, I promise."

"Yeah, don't do that," Taylor said evenly. "I didn't see the match. I haven't watched any wrestling since Avalanche, man, I just... It's been hard enough to get in the gym. Not that I'm doggin' my workouts or anything, I know I can't do that. Especially with the Dojo girls."

For a moment, she trailed off, but she was quick to shrug the moment away. "You seem like you could use a real drink. C'mon, I'll drink with you," she said, and pointed a thumb toward the stairs.

"A real drink sounds good, sure."

She replied, letting Taylor lead as she followed her down the stairs.

"The Dojo girls eh? I met one of them recently, Alaina...nice woman, strong. Felt weird that a woman older than me wasn't as experienced in the ring, but still, she's good, got talent."

Downstairs, Jess ran back to her phone when the song ended, and the Elliots breathed a sigh of relief. Jake didn't want to look like a dork for his first impression, and Cassie's face couldn't get any redder, though she couldn't deny that she was having fun. The horrible kind of fun that turns your face into a tomato.

"So..." Jacob said to Bonnie. "Come here often? You're probably a friend of Taylor's, right?"

"Cassie, stay right there, I totally have the perrrfect song for you!" Jess giggled and began looking through the music on her phone, her hips still idly moving to music no one else could hear. "Hey, would you be a sweetie and get me a-" She put her hand on Jake's arm, but when she turned she saw that he was in mid-conversation with another girl. "Oh! Don't mind me! Taylooor? Could you...?" She motioned to Taylor as she came back down the stairs, and gave her the biggest smile when she understood.

"Alaina's pretty cool, yeah. We're workin' hard..." Taylor said, as she began to pour what she understood to be a margarita for her dancing friend.

Bonnie let go of Jacob's hand and bounced side to side with glee, rocking her hips left to right in front of him while she grinned brightly, keeping her blue eyes fixated on him. She was a bit on the stiff side but she was decent enough to not be picked from a crowd as a "bad dancer".

"Nah not really. First time here! But I guess I'm friends with her now, heh! " She said with a light a chuckle, not breaking her rhythm as she leaned towards him to hear better.

"What about you? Name's Bonnie by the way!"

Bonnie's enthusiasm made Jacob smile. "I'm Jake. I'm Cassie's brother."

"But his real name is Buuuuckyyyyy!" Cassie chimed in with a giggle.

Jake didn't let it phase him. "You must be a wrestler too, right? I think I'm the only one here that isn't in Friction or Tension... I was an assistant instructor at our family's jiu jitsu school back home, but my day job is way nerdier. I got a job in Tokyo doing graphic design and commercial media... It's fun, but not half as awesome as what you do."

"Ready Cassie?" Jess jumped up.

"Noooo?"

The next song started, and dropped its thunderous bass through the house. Cassie's eyes went wide, and she seemed to shrink. Taylor was already laughing.

"C'mon, girl! Work it!"

"Shake ya ass! But watch yourself! Shake ya ass! Show me what ya workin' with!"