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"Hey Eve." Jada beamed at the other girl. "I suppose I could say that it has been going." she gave the blonde a little shrug. News of her parents divorce that everyone knew but no one was supposed to talk about. Jada, for her part, wasn't. "I'll just be making my escape." she told Audrey.

The young woman made her way to the kitchen, admiring Cookie for a while. The plan had only been for punch to go with sandwiches and chips. Instead, there were drinks of every kind; there were sodas, water, juices, smoothies and nonalcoholic daiquiris. Sandwiches of many kinds, enough to feed an army. And later on in the evening, Cookie had arranged for pizza. No way, she had told Jada and Audrey, could she provide grilled hamburgers and hot dogs to every child there without an army in the kitchens.

Kitchen run completed, she then made her way up to her bedroom, staring around and pondering. What did she have access to that she could give Audrey for graduation? The party was hardly a present- she had the house, why shouldn't she let Audrey use it? Tossing open her balcony doors, she watched the other young adults in the pool and surrounding her blue-haired friend for a while, thoughtfully, until Cookie and Richard were seen carrying out the refreshments and setting them by the pool.

Then down the stairs she scampered, back into the sunlight and among the people.

"Just got a little scratch on my leg," Vanessa waved the injury away as though it was nothing. This was an understatement. Initially, the wound on her thigh had been a mean and bloody gash. It had also, thankfully, been shallow and not needed stitches- John Jr had helped her keep it a secret from their father. Now that it was almost healed, and only looked a little red, Vanessa wasn't worried about it. She'd never been really concerned in the first place.

She was no stranger to physical pain. When you were Vanessa, it was impossible.

"If I hadn't saved your life, you mean?" There was a teasing lilt to her voice, a playful smirk on her lips. She was not trying to pick a fight, even though it felt a little strange to be talking to Fallon, instead of yelling- or being yelled at. Vanessa knew that Fallon was probably right; knew that injury could have been avoided if she'd just given up in the first place. She also didn't care.

"I'm glad you aren't hurt anymore," Vanessa nodded, recalling the way Fallon had clutched her ribs as she'd walked away, and swept the other girl up and down once with her eyes. Either Fallon was a quick healer, or she hadn't been hurt as badly as Vanessa had originally assumed. She wasn't surprised- any assumptions she made were usually wrong.

"Are you going to swim?" It was a sort of invitation. Except for the people who also attended Meadowview (and John Jr, but he didn't count), Fallon was the only person here that Vanessa had really spent any time with. This was a little sad.

Recognition flashed in those golden eyes when Jada returned to the party. There was the girl who might as well have been a princess.

Vanessa envied her. Just a little bit.

Had Audrey known of Vanessa's thoughts on people spent most time with, she could have empathized perfectly. With exception of Pasha, the people she had spent the most time with would rank as Zac, then Jada and Fallon, followed closely by the other Negaverse members. Really, it was hard to find time for people and make friends when you spent half your time running around time and killing them.

Cookie came out with refreshments and even though her attention focused fairly often on that, Audrey was fairly solicitous of her youngest companion. She had no siblings of her own, but with the same touch as her mother, enjoyed kids. They always said interesting things, and never minded having more than a little bit of fun, which pleased her immensely. "You gotta tell me what tastes best, okay? That way we can steal it for ourselves and have the best snacks! Normally that's pretty rude, but it's my party, so I can sneak you along." A hand reached out and ruffled the kid's hair, stalled for a moment when gold eyes lit on Fallon.

Waving, her attention abruptly turned away as the teen tried to mask her shame and guilt. There'd been no reason, in the end, to do what she did to her friend. Fallon didn't deserve that pain, and desperately she hoped that the collected young woman never knew of what had happened. There was more chatting, some eating, passing around and picking some of everything out of the mass of snacks. Really, she owed Jada so many more favors now, the list was becoming hugely stacked on the black-haired girl's side that it was ridiculous. How did you pay back the girl who had everything?

The hug from Fallon came as a quick jolt of surprise and pleasure, which was returned with immense happiness. Fallon? Hugging? It really must have been a special occasion, as she could only remember one such occasion before when the dusky young woman had initiated physical contact. Immediately, her plate was put down and the paper carefully picked at. It was just polite really, to not waste something that Audrey knew probably had been done and measured several times so that everything was perfect like so. Slowly pulling out the charm, her eyes widened a bit with delight and turned the familiar hooded figure of Sylvanas this way and and that before forgetting normal boundaries and throwing her arms back around Fallon. The picture was also clutched tightly to her, and pulling back, was immediately set up on the table with the snacks so everyone could see.

"Oh man Fal, it's perfect how did you know? I mean, I might have told you about Sylvanas, or maybe Jada did, I go on alot about her. But oh man, oh man this is amaaaaazing and the picture is so pretty! I can't believe that's me, I look so different!" No wonder things had gone the way they had! It definitely didn't look like Audrey Collins was the girl in sea green georgette in the picture! It looked like some sleek sophisticate! "Man, you are all just the best." Out of habit, nails bit into her palms to hold back the tears. Nobody liked a crier. "Thank you so much, for being here and just making it awesome. It's my first party, and it's already perfect!" And to her, it was!

She saw Fallon, standing among the group of people surrounding Audrey. She'd called Fallon, when she found out about the divorce. She'd texted Fallon. I need to talk to you, the text had said. Please call me. Fallon had become a confidant.

Fallon had never texted her.

It had been a week and a half, at least. Jada was over it, mostly. But she was a prideful girl, and chose the strangest things to begrudge. A week and a half, and Fallon couldn't even give her an I'm busy, only to show up here? Maybe it was all because of the debutante ball? She hadn't so much as spoken to the dark-skinned young woman since that night. Fallon didn't know about the stalker slipping into her room. Fallon didn't know that Jada's parents were getting a divorce. Fallon didn't know Jada had a new house that she'd be moving into after graduation and the signing of papers. Fallon didn't know Kayley was in Switzerland, and that Szelem lived in France now.

It was weird. Fallon had known every detail about everything since they'd met.

From the sidelines, Jada watched everyone buzzing around her blue-haired friends like bees. Normally she'd be jealous in a situation like this. Normally, she'd be trying to squeeze in amongst them, get a spot in the limelight. Get attention, and compliments, and praise, but today...

She didn't care. Odd.

Fallon smiled in her direction; she didn't return the smile, instead ducking her head and looking away, as though she hadn't seen it. She slipped off the cover-up and took a seat on one of the lounge chairs, stretching out and closing her eyes, listening to the babble of people. It was good, hearing people.

It was good, without the silence of her home like a tomb around her.