here's to growing up;

[Elliot is on the edge.]

Draco and Eiji spoiled her immensely sometimes, and tonight she felt particularly fortunate; they were at The Ritz, for christsake, a place which she had never imagined could have even existed in Missouri. The room she stood in was probably bigger than the ground floor of her house, and she had been too terrified to ask what one night in it had cost the two boys. Somewhere between the plush white carpets, floor-to-ceiling windows, sunken white lounge and the daunting gold chandelier, her head had started to spin, but since then the birthday girl had thrown back several glasses of champagne and her vision had settled somewhat. Staring at her reflection in the daunting windows, Elliot began to chew on her lip, unable to resist from falling into the nasty routine of scrutinizing herself, even though she looked something much like magnificent.

“I don‘t like this dress,” even though she absolutely loved it. Mae had bought it for her the day before on a surprise shopping date in honor of her birthday, along with a parade of shoes and designer jeans. Obviously, the modeling business was treating her older sister well enough. Her lips pursed and as Elliot found herself frowning, she tried to banish away thoughts of Mae the best she could, though she knew it wouldn’t be long before the other girl came barging into the hotel room and darkened her thoughts considerably.

“Where did Draco and Pey disappear too?” The blonde called out to Eiji, who was across the massive room, fiddling with the colossal stereo. Frank Sinatra was playing, just loudly enough that she could hum along and still hear his words over her own tune, but the boy had obviously had his fill and was fussing around, attempting to change the CD. Elliot already knew where her friends had ran off too, and her lips quirked upwards at the edges, threatening to bloom into a full smile at the thought. Tipping back her drink, the blonde emptied the last traces of champagne before setting the glass on a nearby table and reaching up to adjust her tiara. Another gift from Mae, a cheap little metal tiara, adorned with fake diamonds and rubies, sat atop her mess of tightly-curled blonde ringlets, glittering against her reflection in the dark windows before her.

Turning away from the menacing glass wall, the birthday girl picked up her empty glass and headed for the bar, already itching for a refill to banish away the knots in her stomach. The guest list tonight had been cautiously thought over and some people were missing that Elliot was dying to see, even though she had no right, and there were others whom she knew would make appearances that she desperately wished she could avoid.

“I don‘t feel any different.”
Because she didn’t, except maybe a tiny bit more guilty than usual, and then she began to wonder if that was just what getting older entailed; guilt and cynicism, and wrinkles of course.

[nate]

"You never do," agreed Nate Wakeman as he strolled into the room. The cynical, asocial was smiling in a decidedly conniving manner. For a change, he had actually dressed to impress: a white dress shirt tucked into dress pants. Black tie, gelled hair, and a smile. Nate hadn't looked better in some time.

Even more appealing would be what was in his hand. A wrapped package that simply could only be a bottle. Beneath the hastily cobbled together paper was a fine vintage wine, straight from a familiar Italian vineyard. A short stop for the teleporting Wakeman.

I hate these things, and she's lucky I appreciate her enough to be here. Hell, seeing Eiji's name on the invite's generally enough to keep me the f**k away. But...

D**m, just look at her. So completely worth it. The tiara's awful.

"Your tiara looks like trash," he offered, still grinning. He sauntered over to the bar, pausing to wave the bottle in Eiji's direction: an acknowledgment of the other's existence, and little else.

"You look better than dreams though, Elliot," Nate complimented, setting the wrapped bottle in front of her. Yes, he could be charming when he actually bothered to try. "Happy Birthday."

[Elliot is on the edge.]

Elliot knew his voice without having to turn around, and already something a little more lively and honest flooded into her smile. She had imagined that, of all the people they had invited, Nate would be the one most likely to come up with some terrible excuse not to attend. Though, looking at him now as she turned around with her grateful smile, she realized that Nate was probably the least likely to turn away their invitation simply because it was for her, and he had yet to let her down yet.

"Hey! You can't insult me on my birthday Wakeman." She set aside her glass of champagne before taking a few steps along the bar to meet him in the middle, her blue eyes sparkling with mirth against her dark eyeliner. Wrapping her arms around the half-djinn, she hugged him tightly, pressing a kiss to his cheek as she stepped back, holding him at arms length now.

"Thanks," her smile brightened considerably as she got a good look at her friend, and as she raised her gaze to meet his, her eyebrows were raised in surprise. "You don't look so bad yourself. Actually," she chuckled "I'll admit that you look bloody fantastic." Smiling, she kissed his cheek once more before turning to the gift on the bar besides them. Slipping onto a stool and crossing her legs, the blond took the bottle into her lap and unwrapped it carefully, occasionally looking up at Nate with a quizzical expression; until she realized exactly where the bottle was from and her expression became something decidedly soft and touched.

"Wow," Elliot set aside the bottle with a small grin, looking up at a Nate as another wave of appreciation for him washed over her. "You definitely did alright." And she winked just then, before turning to look at Eiji, already thinking of how she had scolded him and Draco to be nice to her friends tonight. She imagined that the night ahead would either be a tremendous success or a dreadful failure.

[Eiji Almasy.]

It wasn't being left alone with Elliot that did him, because, well, he liked her; it was the fact that it would just figure that Nate Wakeman be the first one to arrive. He was never doing Draco any favors again, and Peyton, that stupid, frivolous girl; he hoped she passed out from walking into a wall.

The stereo was a real piece of work and he was about ready to admit defeat. There were a million dials and tabs for him to fiddle with, synthesizers and other crap that really had nothing to do with changing the CD. It wasn't until he looked behind the thing, maybe to find a reset switch, that he found the God-forsaken remote. The button, at least, was easy to find and Frank Sinatra cut off to make way for Unwritten, Natasha Bedingfield. Eiji's expression flickered, but he bravely skipped to the next track, which was Boston by Augustana; he recognized the soundtrack to the Hills instantly, and changed CD's again, but when Hilary Duff's theme song to Laguna Beach was what followed, his face vaulted and he changed the CD playing again. The sight of Draco and Peyton giggling near the machine half an hour ago came to mind, and he cursed, attempting to find something appropriate to play. Pretending to be preoccupied with the music, he tried not to hear the exchange between Elliot and Nate, or notice how his stomach lurched just at the other boy's presence. When he'd settled on a mixtape and had already dawdled near the stereo for longer than was polite, he found that he couldn't put off making small talk with the happy couple any more.

His bow tie was undone and so the choking sensation, as well as the nauseousness he felt on sight, was either all in his head or he really did feel like yakking; it was most likely the latter. Nate Wakeman's disdain for him and the rest of the pretty boys in his company, or just him really, was not unknown but Eiji could happily say the feelings were mutual, if not homicidal on his part.
"Nate!" he greeted, looking entirely roguish with no real good intent. There was a tumbler glued to his hand and it took Eiji a moment to realize that maybe drinking out the mini bar before for laughs hadn't been the best idea, especially considering all his trouble with the machinery.
"Where's my kiss?" he asked, all teeth and bite; he could do this.

[Elliot is on the edge.]

“Eiji,” she sounded strained, and all three of them knew she was putting things into her voice that would elude her words. Elliot didn't have a lot of friends, hardly any at all really because girls found her crude or something to be envied, and while boys wanted many things from her, it was hardly ever friendship. There was Draco, who had treated her better than anyone she had ever known and loved her quite immensely, more than his name brands and very own parents. And there was Peyton, who was a bit of an air-head but took good care of her nonetheless, and there was Nate, who seemed to be fond of her even though he went to great lengths to make sure he appeared fond of nothing. Tonight she had made sure to surround herself with the people who she needed most, and goddammit ,they were going to get along.

She took his chin in her hand, turning his face so that she could look him in her eyes and he would see the way she burned.

“Play nice,” and then she turned him away from her so that she could lean forward and press a sweet kiss to his chiseled cheekbone before slipping off her bar stool, intending to head for the door and then the hall, tired of waiting for Peyton and Draco to disentangle themselves from each other and the girls' wares, and completely ready to do it herself.

[Eiji Almasy.]

The look on his face was priceless; he looked kind of curbed, properly chastised. If it had been any other day, he would have told her to keep dreaming, despite how he knew how important it was to her, that he like, or at least pretend to like, her friends. The same could be said for him, except none of his friends, the ones he wanted her to get along with, had ever tried to sleep with him; and the ones that have, and he was totally referring to that one, or two, drunken incident, she was already friends with. He would sooner swallow cyanide than be civil and make an attempt to appear genuine, to Nate Wakeman, but for her, he would try.

He winced at her kiss, because sweet wasn't really what he preferred and mixed with the panic of her retreat, he tugged on her hand, dropping his glass noisily on the bar counter and not caring for the way it teetered dangerously. She was more or less like reconnecting; a magnetic pull every other time, one that he couldn't resist. Their missing friends didn't mean much to him, and Nate was just something he tucked into the back of his mind; or tried to, but that never really worked when the other was within five feet of him.
"I didn't mean you," he teased, but he figured she already knew; it wasn't like he had meant it when he'd been mocking Nate, like he'd actually want a kiss from him. Yuck.

Kissing her in public felt scandalous and he loved it every time. He held her closer and was careful not to ruin her lip gloss or hair; or his hair, really. But he was soft, not really crude, because it wasn't so much about flaunting his relationship with her, it was more of a reassurance that she didn't have to worry too much; at least tonight, she could count on him doing his best to become bffls with Nate, and loving every moment of it.
"Ok, you can go now," he told her, grin very small but no less wicked as he used a thumb to wipe away the gloss on his lips.

[○ Draco Foyen.]

Draco opened the door, red in the face and wearing all the means of a laugh without the noise. He looked up to his usual standard of neatly disheveled with bedhead and an undone bow tie to match Eiji's. Looking behind him at Peyton, who he was dragging along by the hand, the boy didn't notice the rest of the room's company right away, or how Elliot and Eiji seemed to be completely caught up in each other, despite the audience; as per usual. As the door closed behind them, he turned around just in time to catch the blonde being politely shoo'd by her beau and his grin became extremely crooked.

"You can't go anywhere. You're the birthday girl," his world was tilting more by the second and he knew that his tone had come across as something awfully like 'duh', but he didn't care. Dropping Peyton's hand, he headed for the bar, planning to pour himself a glass of Cognac or something else to settle persistent buzzing behind his steely gray eyes. Brushing a hand against Elliot's back as he passed, the Foyen heir noticed Nate, and his smile was a little more genuine that Eiji's, but only somewhat.

"Nathan! Glad you could make it." He leaned over the bar, grabbing a particular bottle and a high-ball glass, not bothering with the hassle of ice. "Elliot really wanted you to come," as if she wasn't in the room. "I think she just really wants you to meet her sister though." Somewhere behind him, he could hear his best friend groan.

"Though god knows why. She's such a bitch."
Tipping back his glass to taste the delightful liquor, Draco caught himself smiling as he glanced at Nate over the rim of his drink, eyebrows raised innocently.

[҉ Kenneth Lorne]

The topic had come up once, and only once. It hadn't really even grown into a topic. It was just...

"So it's Elliot's birthday today."
"...huh...
...think the ice rink is ready yet?"

That was how Kenneth learned Dorian wasn't invited. With Jon, the conversation was much more fruitful.

"So it's Elliot's birthday today."
"I know. I've been baking all morning since I got the invitation. That was nice of Eiji and Draco to rent out the Ritz. My food probably won't measure up to whatever they're providing there, but I know Elliot will say something like 'it's the thought that counts'. She'll appreciate this, right? They're all recipes taken from the book she gave me on my birthday. So I figure things have come full-circle. Next time I'll ask her to circle the ones she wants me to make for her. Our birthdays are just the right time apart so I can master these things... I was saving this one right here for Morgan... KEN those are for ELLIOT don't eat them all! Holy crap how many did you take?! I made twelve!"

And that was how Kenneth learned Jon was invited. Jon also had nine chocolate eclairs to bring Elliot.

Ken, having only one suit left from graduation, decorated it with a black and white plaid bandana in an attempt to fool the fashionistas that marched around in Gucci penguin suits and Burberry tailcoats. Not that he cared overmuch if anyone called him on being an outfit-repeater. He wasn't Jessica Rey, nor did he have the funds Draco or Eiji had to draw from. Plus he wasn't very sensitive to those topics.

Kenneth, ever the classy young man, walked into the Ritz, found Elliot's party, spotted Elliot and Eiji and Nate, strolled right over and hugged both Eiji and Elliot because they were in hugging-range of his massive arms.

"Hello Beautiful!" He greeted. It was unclear as to who he was addressing until he let them go, beaming at Elliot.

[nate]

I have only been here a handful of minutes and already I feel grossly uncomfortable, as if I wore the wrong clothing, and it doesn't fit.

Cheek kisses were far more than Nate expected from Elliot. Certainly not within sight of other people, even more so since it was her birthday, not his. However, he appreciated them when he received them, and it did strengthen his waning resolve.

"I try," he murmured, referring to the statement of 'doing alright.'

Quite hard, for you, for some reason.

"Sorry about that, Eiji," drawled Nate, grinning, "but you're simply not pretty enough for my tastes."

He saluted the other young man, turning to the bar. Alcohol sounded decidedly pleasant right now, and the more of it the better.

Draco and Eiji. Proof that House Almasy isn't perfect.

"So I've heard," he murmured. he tilted a bottle, desperate now even more so for a drink. He did nod at Draco, figuring he might as well play civilly for as long as possible.

"Dumba** nephew," Nate added. His eyes flicked to Kenneth, and there was a ghost of a smile on his face. Oddly enough, he found his "nephew" more endearing than most, if most certainly annoying.

Better annoying than grating.

[Elliot is on the edge.]

He was such an ass, she decided rather suddenly. With a hand curled tightly around her arm and another carefully avoiding messing up her impressive curls, the blonde couldn't help but smirk against him. Kissing him made her feel like such an idiot, for the stupid things they had done and the months they had spent apart. Smiling as they broke apart, she had been about to say something just as Draco sauntered in the door, being very much his usual self. As he began to speak about her sister, Elliot found herself frowning darkly, cursing herself for ever mentioning the subject to her friend.

"Hey handsome."
Kenneth's entrance had her sighing in relief, though his massive hug had her gasping for air. Always one too brighten her mood, no matter how dismal, Kenneth was easily one of Elliot's favorite people and she knew that there would never be a point where she wasn't happy to see him. Reaching down to straighten out her eye-catching dress, she grinned at his compliment. "I thought I cleaned up alright."

"No Kellan?" Her arresting blue gaze flickered to the door, obviously expecting to see the other blonde to have arrived with her boyfriend." Elliot was generally fond, as well as envious of, Kellan, and had been honestly hoping that the other girl would show up. The Almasian had suspected that if she didn't show up for Elliot, she at least would to see Eiji.

What are you drinking?" Her expression became something decidedly more feline as she headed for the bar, brushing away her train of thought as she slipped behind the bar, grabbing a glass for her friend and looking at him expectantly.

[Peyton Howard.]

Peyton, bless her kind soul, was a lost cause.
"Oh, look Draco!" she exclaimed in an excited whisper, before the boy had taken off, "it's Nathan!"
Quite the due observation, and she promptly ended up giggling at something only she knew. For all her shortcomings, and she had many, she did look quite pretty in her white dress. Peyton wasn't loaded like all the other rich kids gathered around her, which was evident every time she visited their house; lifting valuable sculptures and fifteenth century vases, only to fence them the next day. It wasn't that she was much into thievery, it was more that she was too nice to all her clients, and so ended up with massive tabs to pay off. That, and there were illegal taxes and legal tariffs to pay; damnit, who said thug life was easy.

Her parents were another story though, living as they did on the West Coast with their ridiculous plastic surgeon salaries. The dress, and most of her clothing, was from her mother, who sent her clothing parcels every month. Sometimes, she received the odd, disgusting lingerie from her younger, idiot brother, Bradley Badass, who had actually sent over two sets of lingerie, one in particular for Elliot. While Peyton didn't know who she was wearing, she did know her mother had gotten Elliot a classic Valentino dress while her father had been practical and thoughtful and had mailed two invitations to the Writers Guild of America, West, annual charity ball. Peyton herself, was still working on her gift to the birthday girl, but she figured Elliot wouldn't mind, especially since it was most likely that Peyton had only misplaced it.

At the sight of Kenneth, her goofy grin widened all the more and there was a considerable brightness about her that wasn't borne from her and Draco's ice run, or anything else that was a hallucinogen or depressant. She remembered him quite well and he was always wandering around the school; she'd be more hard pressed to forget him, she realized.
"Ken!" she called, laughing at his exuberance, her own bubbling, "you made it!"

At Nate, she gave him an equally brilliant smile. It didn't matter what she had heard about him from all the various sources, or what she thought of him herself. Truthfully, Peyton's blatant dislike was only reserved for one person; two, if she counted Jessica Rey, but even then the girl simply didn't have it in her to be anything near cutting or hateful.
"Hello Nathan," she greeted, her expression falling into polite curiosity, hands folded neatly over the skirt of her dress.*
"You look," and she paused in thought, the patent-Peyton glimmer in her eyes still flickering, "clean," she concluded, feeling ingenious in her discovery and it was hard to discern whether she was being for real or not.

[Kellan Grace Callahan]

It took a lot for someone to intimidate Kellan, but Elliot Davis scared the hell out of her. Kellan didn’t dislike the girl, not even a little bit, but no one had ever made her feel as second best as Elliot, which, for the most part, was completely irrational. She always felt plain and boring next to the other blonde. Subconsciously, some of it had to do with the fact that Kellan knew that there had been something going on with Elliot and Kenneth last year. People talked, Kellan listened. She wasn’t stupid. Things had been a lot more casual and a lot less serious than they were now, so Kel knew she had no right to complain.

She didn’t want to come to Elliot’s birthday party. The two girls were hardly even friends. They were more acquaintances by association than anything else. But friends or not, Elliot had invited Kellan, and apparently she had been selective with her guest list. Though she was surprised that her name had made it onto that list, Kellan was still flattered.

From the moment Kellan arrived at the party, she felt out of place. She had on a cute silver dress and flats and looked just fine, but as soon as she saw Elliot looking as gorgeous as ever in that gold dress, she couldn’t help but feel less than fabulous. Silver was always second best to gold. And of course the birthday girl was talking to Kenneth. In all honesty, Kellan wasn’t jealous at all. Still, the sight made her narrow her eyes at Ken, but not because he was talking to Elliot. Kenneth could have been talking to the President of the United States and she still would have had the same reaction. He didn’t know it yet, but Kellan was furious with her boyfriend. And for good reason, too.

Next, her gaze shifted to Eiji. Though he was one of her favorite people on the planet, she had been avoiding him like the plague lately. She was worried that if she talked to him for too long, she would confess that she had lost the bracelet he had given her for her birthday and he would hate her for the rest of her life. It was extreme, but that was the way Kellan’s mind worked – one extreme to the next. Her adoration for the boy won over, however, and she found herself crossing the room toward him.

“Miss me, Eiji?” she greeted her friend once she reached him, unable to stop a grin from forming despite her lack of enthusiasm for the party. Hopefully he just wouldn’t ask about the bracelet.

[Eiji Almasy.]

Kenneth's hug couldn't possibly measure up to the one Eiji gave Kellan. He had missed her something terrible, which was why as soon as he heard her voice, his drink had no longer been a priority and he'd pushed away from his lazy spot against the bar. Of the people he didn't have to like, but he did anyway for some crazy reason, Kellan was his favorite and not even something like Draco's presence, could even counter the appreciation he felt for hers.

When the other blond had entered, he had wondered why Draco was being so nice to Nate. True, only a sentence or so had been exchanged, but the blond's greeting had been lively and smarmy-free; he was thoroughly confused and could not fathom how he was pulling it off. And then he saw Peyton right after, and it suddenly made sense that Draco would be in a good mood. When Kenneth arrived, he swallowed his wince and something like the beginning of a real grin made its way onto his features; Ken always had an uncanny ability to lighten any situation. The appearance of the other boy saved Eiji from responding crudely to Nate, which would have surely ruined all his silent promises to the birthday girl. He was glad his drink was out of the picture, because Kenneth was positively bruising. Had he been a lesser man, he would have cowered or reacted just as badly; instead, he simply brushed himself off and attempted to remain amused as Elliot left.

Surprisingly, it was Peyton who made up for Elliot's absence. He normally didn't have any patience for the girl, but tonight, he found that he could appreciate her quirkiness. His earlier irritation with her faded, and a smirk formed behind the rim of a glass; she was funny, and endearing when she wasn't trying. Kellan though, was unrivaled. The quick motion of him turning for her was like the time that was between now and the last time he'd seen her. It had perhaps been about a month or so since, but a lot had happened, enough to make it feel like a lifetime, one that past him by too fast. His eyes caught the silver of her dress and his smile was instant. The names on the list were all for Elliot, or were tied to her in some way, but Kellan couldn't have been farther from Elliot's group of friends, or the girl herself, even if she'd tried, and it was for a reason similar to that, that Eiji liked her all the more.

He didn't step back hastily but his was an awkward height, almost a head taller than her, and so he had to look at her rather than ignore how he had ever been affectionate.
"Well," he said, grin crooked and the green considerably brighter, "I was going to wait till Christmas Eve before coming to see you," he told her, but his answer was predictable.
"Of course I missed you."

[nate]

His social obligations fulfilled, Nate had every intention of simply sitting at the bar and drinking the night away. After all, hardly anyone here expected much of him, and he fully intended to live up to those expectations. Besides, associating with other people was always such a pain, and not one that Nate particularly wished to endure that night.

Parties are excuses for the popular, pretty people to be pretty and popular in public. Oh, and to get absolutely smashed and go home with someone you'd never even consider otherwise.

Nate's eyes went to Peyton, who had begun addressing him for some reason. By full first name.

Do I know you?

"You look..." Nate used this opportunity to scan Peyton quickly pretty, but overshadowed by the birthday girl. In other words, perfect for the situation, bravo. "Presentable."

His hand curled around his drink and he attempted to back out of the conversation without moving. Generally people didn't bother with Nate unless they had a reason to, and with so many more engaging people, that wasn't likely to come up. Still, his eyes swept the crowd, observing and judging everyone.

This ought to be fun. Half of the men have slept with Elliot. Most of the girls are jealous. Hell, Kellan looks about ready to attack someone. About the only one of us who looks comfortable, besides Kenneth who would be comfortable dressed in wool in a Hell, is Draco. Possibly this other girl, but that looks like an act.

Regardless, I'm betting that even the comfortable people are wasted in some form or fashion.

[Kellan Grace Callahan]

In the year that Kellan had known Eiji, she couldn’t think of a single time that the older boy had ever hugged her. In fact, the only time she could remember hugging him at all was when she practically launched herself at him when she found out why he had stood her up for their lunch date last year. It was with good reason that Kellan was taken by surprise when Eiji pulled her into a crushing hug tonight. Surprised, yes. Complaining, not in a million years. It wasn’t until right then that she realized exactly how much she had missed Eiji, and the guilt she felt for avoiding him lately finally started to sink in.

“Christmas Eve? Nothing good ever happened on Christmas Eve,” she joked, knowing full well that she had met Eiji the night of Christmas Eve last year. She had been depressed because she was stuck at school while the rest of her family was off on their stupid vacation, but along came Eiji with his honesty and ability to listen, and everything was fine.

She thought about apologizing for not calling or coming to see him lately, but they were friends, and friends were supposed to be automatically forgiven for those kind of things. Plus, the phone worked both ways.

“So am I completely horrible for not bringing a gift?” she asked Eiji after shooting another quick ‘I’m sooo pissed at you’ look to Kenneth’s back. What were you supposed to buy for someone who you only hung out with at parties like this one and awkward double dates?