Chapter 2.12 - Party Time, Part II

“Eve! You’re here early!”

“I figured that there was no harm in it, since I was here earlier for the little family party. You look really good, by the way.”

“Thanks. I thought it was time to change up my look a little bit.”

“Anyway, the main reason I’m back so early is because I forgot the present I got you.” She held out a small box.

Jade tore it open to find- “A camera?”

“I thought you might like it. I know that you like to draw, but you always say that you don’t have the patience for it, so voila! Beautiful art in no time at all. Unless you become one of those people who insists on using film. Then it takes a while.”

Jade laughed. “That’s really thoughtful of you, Eve. Why don’t we go to the backyard and try it out?”

“You don’t want to be here when the guests arrive?”

Jade winced a little. “It’s not that I don't like them, it's just…”

“They can be a little bit obnoxious, I get it.”

The two girls headed outside.

--------

“I’m headed out.”

Beckett looked at his father sharply. “Really? Before the guests even get here?”

“I was going to stay for the party, but I just got a call. There’s an emergency at the station, and I have to get down there immediately. I probably won’t be home too late, but in case I am… try not to completely wreck the house, okay?”

Beckett nodded, surprised. He hadn’t realized that his dad trusted him this much. Of course it could just be that he was naive. From what he had told them, Beckett’s dad hadn’t gone to a lot of parties in high school.

Their dad turned to Alaric. “I’m trusting you to keep the others from doing anything stupid. Don’t break that trust.”

“I won’t.”

Their father turned and walked out of the room.

As soon as they were sure he was gone, Beckett turned to Alaric. “So?”

Alaric considered his options. “I don’t like you or your friends. But I’ll turn a blind eye to anything you do at this party… on one condition.”

“What condition?”

“I plan to run for freshman class president. I want you to campaign for me.”

Beckett frowned, confused. “But there’s still six weeks left of eighth grade. Are you sure you don’t want something now?”

“I’m not really into instant gratification, but I will hold you to your promise.”

“Well… okay. If you really want.”

Alaric grinned as a little piece of his long-term plan fell into place.

--------

Beckett was in the kitchen when he heard the doorbell ring. He grinned. That’ll be Madeline, he thought, and he hummed a little as he went to answer the door. He pulled the door open, then stopped in his tracks.

“Hi, Beckett.” The girl in front of him smiled shyly.

“Danica? What are you doing here?”

Her smile faded. “I was invited… or at least I thought I was invited. It might have been another one of those prank invitations, I guess, but… I thought it was genuine. I’m sorry. I’ll just go.”

Beckett gathered his wits about him enough to realize what must have happened. “Wait! I’m sorry, Alaric must have invited you.”

Danica looked extremely confused. “But… why?” When Beckett looked shamefaced, she figured it out. “Oh, I get it. He invited me so that all the popular people would be annoyed that there’s a loser at their party. He always was a jerk like that. I think it’s better if I leave.”

As she turned to go, Beckett was surprised to find that he didn’t want her to leave. “No, stay! Please.” She paused and turned to look at him again. “I know we haven't talked in a while, but I really do want you here.”

“Alright. I'll stay.”

--------

A couple of hours later, Danica was regretting her decision. Everyone else was here, and no one was speaking to her. Alaric was holed up in his room. Beckett was talking to Madeline and Ted. Jade, Eve, and Marc were all discussing the school newspaper in one corner. And Danica sat ignored on a loveseat, trying to pretend she wasn't upset.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t been expecting it. From the moment she knew that she hadn’t really been invited to the party, she knew this was how her night was going to go. Still, part of her had hoped that Beckett would remember the days when they used to be friends. She sighed. They’d grown a lot since the days when they’d go out and play by the pond together. It was clear that when he’d outgrown playing in the pond, he’d outgrown her, too.

Beckett didn’t notice Danica moping on the couch. He didn’t have enough room in his head to think about that right now. Tonight was a night he’d been planning for weeks, and not just because of his birthday.

“Madeline?”

“I told you to call me Maddie, Beck. What is it?”

“I want to show you something.”

She gave him a strange look, and he realized how that might have sounded. “No, no! Nothing like that, I promise! Just… come with me? Please?”

“Okay. I trust you, but sometimes when you say things like that…” She trailed off, shaking her head. For someone so charming, he could be really socially inept at times.

He led her out into the backyard, then around to the side of the house. When Madeline saw the display on the wall, she gasped.

Beckett turned towards her. “Madeline Milne… will you go to the eighth grade formal with me?”

“Oh my Plumbob, you made me a promposal! How did you know I wanted one? Of course I’ll go with you!”

He grinned, and they walked back around to the backyard. He intended to go back in to the party, but she stopped him. “What is it?” He turned back to her, puzzled.

“Have you never seen a promposal?”

“All I wanted was some fresh air…”

--------

“You’re Jade, right?”

“That’s me. And you’re Ted, aren’t you?”

“Yep.” He sat down next to her, and she smiled at him. He was cute.

“You look really nice tonight.”

“Thanks. You do too,” Jade replied, hoping that she wasn’t blushing. He was really cute.

She’d been watching TV when he came up to her (party or not, there was no way she was missing her shows), and when it became clear that he wasn’t going to say anything else, she returned her attention to the elaborate plotline unfolding on the screen. Gradually, though, she became aware of a soft weight across her shoulders.

She looked at Ted, surprised. He looked back at her, a little unsure. “Is this okay?”

She blinked, then nodded. “Yeah, it is.”

Author's Note: First off, thank you for making it all the way through that monster of a chapter! Including the CAS pictures here, there are 50 screenshots on this page. That's more than twice my average chapter length. The next chapter should be a little bit shorter, but I haven't taken the pictures yet, so there's no real way of telling. I think part of the reason I took so many pictures here is because I turned my graphics up, and all of a sudden my game is so much prettier.

Now, on to the triplets' CAS pictures:

Alaric is now ambitious,

Jade is a kleptomaniac,

and Beckett is a hopeless romantic.

A little bit of trivia: everyone who appeared in this chapter (with the obvious exception of Dylan) has the potential to be a major player in the next generation, depending on who you choose as heir. What's more, all of the possible major players appeared in this chapter. Take that as you will.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next time: the election for freshman class president and even more drama!