Fallen Brethren

Brian had called me later that same night. He'd told me that he could go to the party, so I was supposed to save some hors d'oeuvres for him. It had been a quick conversation. He'd sounded like he'd had more to say, but Devin, who had invited himself over for "homework purposes" had impersonated my mother calling me to do the dishes. I'd told Brian that I had to go but I was glad that he was coming, and then I'd hung up.

Devin had smiled and told me I was in. Then he'd gone through my closet to find me something to wear. After two minutes, he'd declared my closet "absolutely out-of-the-question" and had called Mikey to set up an emergency shopping trip.

Mikey had immediately agreed, citing her duty as a best friend to find me the appropriate "shameless hussy outfit".

So that was where I was – trying on too-short dress after too-short dress. Devin continuously pulled items from the racks and ordered me to try them on, and I continuously pouted and put up a major fuss.

"Did you get these from the kids' section?" I demanded, looking at the tiny piece of fabric in my hands.

"I don't need to come in there to help you, do I?" Devin threatened. I rolled my eyes, grunted, and pulled the dress over my head. It fell nicely over what little curves I had and actually gave me a shape.

It was a short bubble-cut – it just covered my butt – but it made me actually look decent. It was silver at the top but faded to black as it went down. It had thick straps that met at the base of my neck, and then another wide strap attached at the back of my neck with two snaps to keep the dress up. Studding the straps were large rhinestones, and there was an opening in the front going from the bottom of the neck attachment to the top of my chest, revealing a little bit of cleavage.

"Are you going to show me or do I need to use my x-ray vision?" Devin complained loudly. I jumped. I'd forgotten he was outside.

"Sorry –" I said quickly. I unlocked the stall door and stepped timidly into the open. Devin's jaw literally dropped.

"I think it's –"

"Maddie," Devin said, holding up his hand to stop me. His eyes roamed up and down and I nervously played with my fingers.

"What?" I finally asked.

"I'm just... seriously reconsidering my sexual identity."

I smirked and shoved his shoulder. "Thanks... I think."

"You'll have every guy in the house eating out of the palm of your hand, including Brian."

"Not every guy," a voice piped up. I looked over and saw Mikey emerge wearing a bright orange halter dress. It looked even shorter than mine, and the halter strap was braided fabric. It was backless too, so the fabric just covered everything it needed to and little else.

"Mikey," I stammered, "you look..."

"Awesome, I know. You, on the other hand, look –"

"- Exquisite!" Devin finished, beaming. "You both look exquisite."

After changing, I was ready to buy the dress – I even had it in my hands and the money out. But then I stopped.

"Guys – my brothers will never let me wear something like this," I said desperately, holding the dress up and motioning to the opening in the front as proof.

"I thought we agreed that I would take care of your brothers," Mikey scolded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You flirting with them at the party won't stop them from using their eyes at my house!" I insisted.

"That's why you'll change at my house," Devin decided, holding his hand out. Mikey wordlessly handed him her dress, and, after casting Mikey a questioning glance, I gave him mine too. "Now no more doubts," he said, going forward and paying before I could stop him.

"Devin! I hate it when you buy stuff for me!" I complained. He smirked.

"That's backwards, isn't it?" he asked. Mikey shrugged and smirked. "Does it look like I need to save money, Gouda?" Gouda was my nickname for the day. "I like buying you things – it gives me the satisfaction of knowing that the money is going where it ought to go," he explained.

I grumbled about it the rest of the way home, but could do nothing – he'd already paid and he refused to accept my money. Devin claimed that he had the perfect pair of heels at his house so I didn't need to buy shoes. I didn't ask him why he had heels and Mikey didn't seem to even register the fact that it might be weird for him to own a pair.

Devin pulled into my driveway and handed me my dress. "We'll see you tomorrow, Gouda. The party starts at ten, so be at my house at eight to get ready. And make sure your brothers are coming," he warned.

"Won't it be better if they don't come?" I asked. Devin looked abashed.

"Gouda, why are you so cruel? You're going to deny me the chance to stare at them in their party best for an entire night?" I grinned and rolled my eyes.

"Got it – I'll make sure they're coming. Am I allowed to invite my sisters too, or is that out of the question?" I asked.

"Just make sure they're not as impeccably dressed as you and you'll be fine," he said. "Which will be tough when you're wearing that little number," he said, pointing to the bag in my hands. I grinned again.

"I'll see you tomorrow." I waved and headed into my house. I raced up to my room and hung it in my closet still in the bag. I didn't want Koda or Rini to peek at it and then tell the boys. I ran my hand down the plastic, my stomach twisting into knots over the next day. What if I screwed things up?

"Did you have a good time?"

I jumped into my closet in surprise and bumped my knee off the door frame. I turned wildly to see Ben.

"God, Ben!" I shouted, clutching a hand to my chest to feel my pounding heart. "Knock next time or something!"

"I didn't think I had to knock – we only grew up together," he said. He sounded defensive and upset. I narrowed my eyes.

"What if I'd been changing?" I challenged.

"No offense, Maddie, but I shared a womb with you. However uncomfortable it might be, I think we'd get over it," he grumbled.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, picking up on his tone.

Ben shrugged and picked up my flash drive from my computer desk. He swung it around in his fingers as he inspected the pictures on my walls. Most of them were of my siblings, and more than half of them were Ben and I together. But recently, pictures of Devin and Mikey had begun finding their places on the wall.

"You've been spending a lot of time with your new friends lately," he mumbled, pointing to one of the pictures, keeping his back to me. I narrowed my eyes more and scrutinized him. Or rather, I scrutinized his back since he wouldn't turn around.

"Is that bad?" He shrugged dismissively again. I rolled my eyes and griped, "You know, if you're going to be like that, could you leave me alone? I have some work to do." He scoffed and dropped my flash drive back on my desk.

"We haven't hung out in two weeks, Maddie," he told me. "But you have plenty of time for your new friends."

"Are you jealous?" I asked, amazed. "Seriously, Bennett?" I used his full name for emphasis.

"I'm just wondering when you're going to remember that you have six other siblings," he snapped, "and that five of them share your DNA."

"So what?" I demanded. "Being sextuplets doesn't mean anything!"

"You know damn well it means something!" he hissed, coming closer to me. He stared down at me and I stared right back at him. "It means we're closer than other people," he stated, his voice rough and even. "It means that we share more than the same color eyes and hair. It means we're best friends first and siblings second."

"If you felt this way, you could have talked to me sooner – the street runs both ways, Bennett. I've been home every night this week, and you haven't approached me at all."

"I was waiting for you to snap out of whatever delusion you've fallen into and come back to me!"

"Will you listen to yourself? You sound like a jealous boyfriend!" I exclaimed, pushing him in the chest. He didn't really move, but I stumbled backwards. Curse him for being able to bench press my weight.

"I'm trying to find my best friend," he growled. "Where'd you put her?"

"Ben, I'm allowed to have other friends. You, Jake, and Gabe already restrict everything else in my life – at least let me make friends!" I pleaded.

"Maddie, we're friends! What else do you need?"

"I want more than you, Ben!" I shouted. "What don't you understand?" I clutched his shoulders. "You are my best friend, and you always will be. But I need other friends too – friends with whom I can talk about the things I can't talk about with you."

"What kind of things can't you tell me?" he demanded. "I'm your brother, you can tell me anything."

I raised my eyebrows and snorted.

"Try this one on for size, then – Ben, I have the worst menstrual cramps in the world, and I bled through my underwear this morning. There was a pool of blood on my bed, and my sheets are ruined. The flow is getting heavier, so I'm going to have to start buying stronger tampons."

Ben's face had gone quite pale, and he coughed slightly. "You... you talk about that with your friends?" he questioned, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes," I said defensively. "Well – it's not quite so graphic, but you understand."

Ben nodded slowly and sighed. "Maddie – having other friends is fine. But can't you find time for me too? I feel like we don't even exist in the same world anymore. And I feel lost without you."

I sighed and hugged him. Ben and I were kindred spirits if there ever was an incarnation of the term. We understood each other. Ben was a very introverted person and he'd be hard-pressed to show emotion to anyone... anyone except me. With me, Ben was completely open with his feelings, and I was the same with him. I was a little more outgoing than him, but not much – it took a lot for me to admit to my emotions, and Ben understood that.

"Listen to me. You are my best friend. But I need Mikey and Devin – they're good for me. They're like... my link to the non-Shepherd world. I don't think I have to explain to you how hard it is to exist in both worlds cohesively."

Ben sighed and nodded. "So you're still going to hang out with them?" he asked.

"You're not asking me to give up my friends for you?" I asked, horrified. He shrugged again and left my room, not answering my question.

I sank onto my bed, completely shocked. I hadn't been expecting anything like that from Ben. Usually we understood each other so well that we hardly had to use words. How were we so off-base on this one?

I groaned. Sometimes being one of six was just too hard.

I suppose I was expecting balloons and streamers. So when I walked into Devin's house about an hour after the party started and was met by laser shows, sky dancers, and other upscale party favors as that, I was surprised to say the least.

I'd gotten dressed in Devin's house with Mikey, and then we had gone to Starbucks while Devin remained to finish up the preparations for what he fondly named the Soirée of the Century. Why did we retire to our favorite location for caffeine pushing rather than stay and help Devin set up for the soirée? It was Mikey's idea.

"If you come in from the kitchen carrying drinks, then they're going to think you're the hostess. If you come in fashionably late and asking for the drink, they're going to think you're the star. Take a guess at which one you want to be labeled."

Mikey pushed past me after waiting outside for five minutes. She gave my arm a small, discreet squeeze and then threw herself into the party. I watched her enviously. She was the life of the party, and she'd just arrived. It seemed that half of the senior class was already in the house. I was going to say crammed, but that was the wrong word – the house could hold the entire senior class and have room for more.

Devin appeared at my side and escorted me farther into the house. "You know, Brian's not lurking at the doorway," he hissed in my ear.

"Well where is he, Capitan?" I asked sarcastically.

"Your facetious words wound me," he said monotonously. "And it doesn't matter where he is. He will come to you if you play your cards right, and with me as your guide, you'll be the poker queen." He pulled me into the middle of the living room and began dancing with me.

Devin knew just what to do with me when I didn't know what to do with myself. I had to admit that I was hopeless on the dance floor, and I told Devin this. He didn't seem to care. "Honestly Maddie, you think I would abandon you in your hour of need?"

The song ended, and Devin leaned in to whisper in my ear. "Alright, Love – go up to Jason Kingsley and ask him to dance. After him, dance with Zack Argyle. Then come and find me."

"Why?" I hissed.

"Because Brian is watching you," he told me. "Now go before he asks you. Keep him chasing you for a little bit."

"Won't that scare him off?"

"You have so much to learn, Fantasia."

"Fantasia? Where do you come up with these names?"

"This particular one is a 1940's Disney classic. But I digress. Dance with Jason, Zack, and then come find me – talk to you later, Love." He brushed past me, turned around and grabbed my shoulder, and whispered, "You look drop-dead gorgeous by the way."

I groaned and went over to Jason Kingsley and draped my hand over his shoulder. He turned and smirked. "Maddie?" he asked. Jason was in a few of my classes, and we chatted randomly, but never enough to call us friends.

I smiled, though, and purred, "Dance with me."

He nodded and left his drink with his friends who were stereotypical guys and crowed their delight in their friend's good fortune. "You look... great," he told me as I led him toward the middle of the dance floor. I figured if we were surrounded by everyone, he wouldn't notice how abysmally awful I was at dancing.

"Thanks – my friends went a little crazy in choosing my outfit," I explained.

"I like it," he said. He wasn't creepy or sleazy when he said it, and I smiled. I knew there was a reason why I talked to Jason. I vowed to talk to him more often in school.

We chatted about random things, but it was hard to dance and talk at the same time, and the dancing that Devin had mind wasn't something that required much talk anyway – by the end of the song, I was actually grinding. And Devin was smirking and showing his appreciation by shooting me candid smirks and raising his plastic cup to me when he knew I was looking.

"Thanks for the dance Maddie, but I need to go rescue Sarah Mills from Phil Levi... he's not exactly known for his gentlemanly good-nature, if you know what I mean."

"Go be her knight in shining armor," I told him, smiling. "Thanks for the dance, Jason."

He left, giving me a small wave. Devin was prowling around the edge of the dance floor turned mosh pit, and when he saw me glancing at him desperately, he began pointing wildly at Zack. I rolled my eyes and was about to walk off the floor when I noticed Brian making his way toward me.

I took a deep breath and stepped away from Brian's direction and toward Zack.

"Zack, hey – do you want to dance?" I asked. Zack was one of Gabe's better friends. He was on the baseball team so he knew me through all three of my brothers. He was a sweetheart, and I was surprised he was even at the party. He didn't seem the type.

"Sure, Maddie," he said. He smiled good-naturedly at me and then we danced. It was nothing like some of the other couples, and I finally understood Devin's choices in my dancing partners. He was looking out for me, picking the nice guys in the school for me to dance with so that I could make Brian jealous but still keep my dignity about me. I vowed to thank him for his consideration in his diabolical plans.

The music ended, Zack left, and I saw Devin in the hallway. I raced to him and he handed me a cup. "What's in here?" I asked.

"Sierra Mist," he answered, taking my elbow and leading me into the kitchen. "And you did wonderfully, Fantasia."

"I feel like a fool," I grumbled.

"Don't – you look fantastic, and Brian's noticed. He seems frustrated."

"That's because I keep ignoring him!" I insisted. Devin smirked and drank the contents of his plastic cup. "What are you drinking?" I demanded.

"Water – I'm a dry partier by rule, Fantasia. And no, he's not frustrated because you're ignoring him. He's frustrated with himself because he can't seem to get to you in time. You're just too popular." He grinned, knowing that was his doing. "He's also frustrated because other guys are getting to dance with you. You wouldn't know this, but he's currently deep in conversation with Jason Kingsley to see if something is going on between the two of you."

"He is? How do you know?" I asked.

"Because I know everything, naturally... but also because he asked me the same thing after dancing with you, which is exactly what I planned."

"You're sick and twisted, Atherton," I grumbled, sipping my drink. "You have this matchmaking thing down to an art form, and it's quite terrifying."

"Speaking of terrifying, I think you should witness Mikey's work... come with me."

"I can't go see my brothers, are you kidding me?" I hissed as Devin dragged me through the crowd. "That's the whole point for Mikey's work, as you so succinctly put it. I'm supposed to avoid them so that this whole party can work!"

"Don't worry; no one's going to be looking at you, Fantasia. No offense, but there's a reason Mikey went for the no-back dress."

He pointed to the corner of the room we'd just entered, where Mikey was sitting next to both Jake and Gabe. Gabe was looking very nice indeed in a blazer and loosened tie – he'd gone for the careless prep look, and he pulled it off so well it was almost scary. Jake, on the other hand, had chosen a simple polo shirt and jeans. He looked great, like always, but that was just the standard Shepherd male.

Mikey was twisting Gabe's tie between her fingers while she trailed her other hand down Jake's arm. And both of them seemed to be at ease.

"She's –"

"– Good," Devin interrupted.

"I was going to say crazy," I mumbled, smirking and shaking my head.

"She's a manipulative bitch, I'll admit. But she's our manipulative bitch and it's why we love her." Mikey pushed her hair away and I caught the flash of wild blue in the under-layer of her hair. "Your poor brothers... will they be heartbroken when she doesn't go home with either of them?"

"Gabe will, maybe – Jake doesn't really expect it. And Ben would never do that." I furrowed my brow and glanced back at Mikey's handiwork, no pun intended. "Wait... where is Ben?" I asked.

Devin shrugged and put his drink down on one of the many tables. "Maybe he's in the bathroom?" he suggested. I narrowed my eyes and glanced around the room.

"Devin, I'll be back," I mumbled. I ran up the stairs, threw on my jeans and shirt that I'd worn to Devin's before I'd changed and then raced back down the stairs.

"Hey, what are you doing?" he hissed, grabbing my arm as I entered the room again. "Where's your dress?"

"I have to talk to my brothers... and I couldn't do that in that dress. I'll change back into it when I'm done," I assured him. Devin rolled his eyes.

"If I wasn't a dry partier, you'd drive me to drinking, Fantasia," he warned. Then he rolled his eyes and flicked two fingers. Immediately, Mikey stood up, told my brothers she'd be right back, and followed Devin, casting me a quizzical look as she passed me.

"Hi guys," I said, approaching them before other people could.

"Maddie, did you see the girl talking to us?" Gabe asked. I groaned.

"Yes, I have eyes. And she looks..." I hesitated, but then pushed on. I didn't want Gabe getting any ideas. "She looks trashy. Don't think about it, Gabe." If anyone was going to go further with Mikey than Operation Shortcake required, it would be Gabe, and I didn't want him doing anything with my best friend, even if he didn't know that she was yet.

"That's just how I like them," he mumbled, taking a drink from his cup. I could smell the beer, and I rolled my eyes.

"Are you both drinking?" I asked them. Jake raised his plastic cup in affirmation and then took a swig. "Don't you think you should be more careful? If you're caught drinking you'll both be kicked off the baseball team. Gabe, you'll be out of soccer and track too, and Jake – what if they don't let you do your senior project?"

"Gee, I didn't know Mom was invited to this party," Gabe said to Jake. I rolled my eyes.

"Never mind, I can't get a word in edgewise when you're not drunk – when you are, I'm sure it's impossible." I sighed. "Did you call Nate?"

Jake and Gabe exchanged glances. I knew both Koda and Rini were here at the party – I'd caught sight of them talking to a few of the girls from gym while racing upstairs to change into normal clothes. I was sure that my brothers knew too. And if we were all here, it was a commonly known fact that all of my brothers would be here, too – not to have a good time, but to keep an eye on us girls, to make sure that we didn't have a good time. That was why Mikey's role in Operation Shortcake had been so critical, despite the fact that I hated objectifying my friend. I'd warned her that Nate would probably show up sometime tonight, too. She said she was all too willing to woo Nathan Shepherd.

"Of course," Jake said simply.

"Well, where is he? I haven't seen him since classes started in August," I said, looking around for his auburn hair.

"He's not here," Gabe said. "And I don't think he's coming." I glanced at the two of them skeptically. Was this some kind of trick? Were they going to keep him under wraps so that he could spy on us without us knowing and looking out for him?

"Why not?" I asked suspiciously.

Jake shrugged. He looked frustrated himself, something that made me think he might actually be telling the truth. "He said he didn't want to come."

"Did you explain to him that it was one of the biggest parties of the year and that it was co-ed?" I asked.

"Of course, Maddie – do you really think we want you three running around with all these guys in here, grinding and drinking without all of us around to keep the hands off of you?" Gabe demanded, his face darkening at the thought of someone laying hands on one of his sisters. "But he said he didn't want to come."

"But... when he left for State College, he warned Koda, Rini, and me that he would be at all the parties, watching us. He swore it," I muttered, completely baffled. It wasn't that I wanted Nate to be here – in fact that was the last thing I wanted. Nate was harder to distract from his brotherly duties than my sextuplet brothers. But the fact that he wasn't here suggested something else. It suggested that he just didn't care anymore. And that wasn't the Nate I knew.

"Do you think something's going on?" I asked.

"I bet he just has stuff to do – maybe he's got a term paper due on Monday and he has to work on it," Jake suggested, although he didn't look too thrilled with the idea of Nate not being present either. Clearly Nate had promised them he'd be around too. I sighed.

"Well, whatever – he is in college now. He probably doesn't want to come back to a high-school party anyway."

Gabe and Jake shrugged identically and drank more of their beer. I scrunched up my nose at the smell and then glanced around the room. Ben still hadn't appeared. It was becoming more and more apparent that he wasn't just in the bathroom.

"Where's Ben?" I asked.

Gabe's face went sour, and Jake scoffed. "He's at some meeting for that Odyssey of the Mind thing," Gabe grumbled, waving his hand dismissively. I could hear the hurt in his voice.

"What the hell is that?" I asked.

"You know – that fair thing where they make... rocket ships out of... coat hangers and... Toaster Strudel frosting packets," Jake explained. He glared at the plastic cup in his hand like it had done him a personal injustice.

"... Ben's missing one of the biggest parties of the year that all three of his sisters are attending... in order to make rocket ships out of coat hangers and Toaster Strudel frosting packets?" I asked, trying to wrap my head around it.

"No," Gabe corrected, "he's missing one of the biggest parties of the year that all three of his sisters are attending in order to meet and talk about making a rocket ship out of coat hangers and Toaster Strudel frosting packets."

Jake snorted. "And I bet when they're done, they'll play a game of Dungeons and Dragons."

Gabe glared across the room at a random underclassman. "Yeah, and Ben's probably the dungeon master: the King of the Nerds."

"I'm glad he shares our genes," Jake grumbled.

"Makes the family proud, that one," Gabe agreed. He touched his plastic cup to Jake's and then they both drank heavily. As if the betrayal of one Shepherd brother wasn't enough! Two of my brothers had decided not to attend this plethora of hormones and protect their sisters' virtues? What was happening to the world?

I glanced over at the entrance to the room and I saw Mikey and Devin watching me carefully while surreptitiously dancing. I nodded carefully and Mikey detached herself from Devin after whispering in his ear. Then she came over to us.

"Hey boys – sorry I took so long... the keg was so hard to find!" she said airily. I caught a whiff of her cup. It definitely wasn't beer. I smiled and shook my head. I should have known that Mikey wouldn't have gotten drunk – her role was far too crucial and she took it seriously. She winked secretly at me and then pointed to me. "Gabey, you didn't want any did you?" she cooed, twisting his tie between her fingers again and drawing him closer and closer to her face. When she felt he was close enough she stopped and smiled adoringly at him. I turned my laughter into a cough.

Gabe smirked and put his arm around Mikey's waist. "No, that's okay. Yeah, this is my sister, Maddie. Maddie this is Mikey."

"We've met," I mumbled. "Briefly." Mikey leaned over and whispered something into Jake's ear, and he smirked and played with her fingers. I rolled my eyes and patted Gabe's head. "I'll see you clowns later," I told them. "Don't have too much fun."

They didn't seem to hear me, which I'm sure was Mikey's plan, and so I left and went back over to Devin.

"While you were having your enchanting chat with your dear brothers," Devin said as I reached him, "Mikey and I were doing some research. It seems the target has been inquiring about you all night to various sources."

"Can't you just call him Brian?" I asked.

"And ruin the fun? Never," Devin exclaimed melodramatically. "Anyway – this is how this is going to work. You've kept the target on the fritz long enough. Any longer and he might get too frustrated to be of any use tonight. So by the time you get your dress back on, I'll have found him. You're going to go into the same room as he and look like you're engaged in conversation with some guy. I'm certain he'll come up to you," Devin explained.

"What do I talk about with this random guy?" I asked. Devin rolled his eyes.

"Fantasia, try to keep up. I'm the random guy. He's already seen you dancing with me, and he's already questioned me quite jealously about our innocent fun. When he sees you talking to me, it'll be a kick in the balls, excuse the expression. Although I've assured him we're just friends..." He smirked and glanced around the room. "Well... let's just say I wasn't discreet when I told him I wanted to be more but you seemed to be interested in someone else."

"Oh," I mumbled. "You're ridiculous."

"Thank you. Come now, all the planning has come down to this moment. Operation Shortcake is almost at its climax, and you won't want to miss it. It'll be orgasmic."

"Isn't the climax dependent on me anyway?" I asked, ignoring his sexual reference but allowing him to push me up the stairs gently. I changed quickly, the damn butterflies slamming their stupid bodies against the lining in my stomach. Devin was right – this was the moment for which we'd been preparing all week. I was going to finally talk to Brian, and if all went well, it would be the first of many times.

I went back downstairs to find Devin waiting for me. He jerked his head to the right and then walked quickly in that direction. I followed him after a few minutes and found him standing in the room, sipping his drink and leaning casually against the wall. I immediately located Brian standing against the opposite wall, glaring at Devin. Devin raised his plastic cup to him in a mock salute and I had to suppress a giggle. Somehow it seemed cruel for Devin to lead Brian on like this, especially when he was gay.

"You're so evil," I told him, coming up to him and grinning.

"I know, Fantasia. It's a gift," he mumbled into the rim of his cup. "Stay sharp, Love, he's coming over. He grinned, obviously proud of his skills, and then said loudly, "MacMillan, good to see you again so soon. Come for another chat?"

"What were you boys talking about?" I asked, catching on. Devin smirked into his cup, but I was the only one who could see.

"Well, we were just –"

"– Talking about Fantasy Football," Brian interrupted quickly. "I was just saying how I chose the entire Giants defensive line rather than individual players," he said. I was lost, and I was pretty sure Devin was too. But he surprised me.

"I'm more of a Steelers fan myself. I'd put money on Polamalu before any of the Giants."

I nodded. "Well, as fascinating as this is, I think I need another drink. How about you, Brian?" I asked, smiling at him. He nodded. "Devin," I acknowledged, nodding to him. He grinned wickedly and left.

Brian and I went into the kitchen and I got another Sierra Mist out of the cooler while Brian pulled out a can of Pepsi.

"No beer?" I asked him.

"Not tonight," he said, shrugging.

"So are you having fun?" I asked, leaning against the counter.

"I thought..." he smirked and shook his head. He rubbed the rim of his unopened Pepsi with his thumb absentmindedly as he considered his words. "Well, I thought this was going to be a cast party. I didn't realize that Jake had managed to snag the entire senior class to work on his project."

I giggled. "Word got out and it turned into a huge bash."

"That's too bad," Brian muttered.

"Why?" I asked him.

"Well... I was sort of looking forward to a smaller party so that I could get to know you a little better. It's tough when I have to compete with every other guy out there just for a few minutes of your attention," he explained, finally popping open his Pepsi.

I would have blushed if I did that. "Not every guy," I mumbled, embarrassed. Brian cast me a skeptical glance.

"Then obviously you haven't seen all the looks you've been getting. You're really turning heads."

"Because of this dress... I told Mikey it was too much," I told him, smirking. This wasn't how I'd wanted our first conversation to go – I felt like I was defending myself.

"It's not because of the dress, Maddie. I mean, that helps, believe me," he said, shaking his head and taking another drink. "Definitely... but it's... you're..."

"Yeah?" I asked. I felt so dumb, like I was playing a part in a movie.

"You're gorgeous tonight," he said. "It's not just the dress. You look confident and beautiful. You look... perfect. I barely recognized you when I first saw you. I had to look twice, and then..." The butterflies slammed against my stomach. "Well, I haven't looked away yet."

I grinned. "Thanks."

Brian nodded and took another drink, but somehow managed to keep his emerald green eyes locked with mine. It was exhilarating, being this close to Brian MacMillan and knowing he was there because I was there.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" he asked, finishing his Pepsi and throwing it in the recycle bag that Devin had set up.

"Where?" I asked.

"Well, do you want to take a walk?" he asked. "I've always wanted to have a look around Atherton's grounds."

"Sure," I answered, putting my Sierra Mist down and following him out the back door. The pounding of the bass was muted as the door closed, and the sudden assault of silence on my ears made me shudder. "Wow – quiet," I mumbled.

"Yeah, you don't realize how loud it is in there until you leave," Brian said, laughing.

I definitely had realized how loud it was before. But Operation Shortcake was more important than a few ruptured ear drums. I nodded in affirmation and then took a deep breath.

The night was balmy and there was mist rising up from the ground, but it wasn't raining for once. We stepped onto the path from the back door that led to the gazebo and pool area, our legs tickled by the surrounding ferns and other foliage.

"So you and Devin Atherton..." Brian said suddenly, and I glanced at him, trying to contain my smirk. "I don't know I've seen you around him a lot recently – is there anything going on?" he asked.

"We're friends," I told him, smiling. "He's working on the backdrop with me, and he's a really sweet guy. But that's all we are: friends."

Brian paused. "That's not... well, he told me that he wanted to be more with you," he told me. I was glad that Devin had already told me this. If not, I might have blushed. As it was, I was only slightly embarrassed.

"He might..." I mumbled, amazed that I was having this conversation about Devin Atherton, who I knew to be gay. "But I like our friendship where it is right now. I'm not planning on changing it."

Brian nodded. I saw him glance at my hand, but he didn't take it. Instead, he put his hands in his pockets and cleared his throat. "It was hard to talk to you earlier – I kept trying, but you seemed really into the party."

"Well, I'd just gotten there, I had to make my rounds," I joked. Brian laughed. I liked his laugh – it sounded like it came from somewhere down deep, like he was actually laughing and not just pretending to laugh. "So what did you do with yourself while you were waiting for me to become unpopular?" I asked.

"Mostly brooded about how I wasn't able to get to you first and attack any of the guys who'd danced with you," he answered, smiling. I laughed. "Nah – I spent my time with Jake and Gabe at first, but then... I think it was actually Michaelene Hart? Well, she took their attention," he said, grinning. "Are you friends with her?"

"Uh, sort of... we work on the backdrop together, but we hardly talk," I lied. I wasn't sure how far I had to go with the whole I-don't-know-my-friends routine.

He nodded. "Well, so I was with the two of them... by the way they were talking, I had expected Ben and Nate to show up. I'm surprised they haven't."

At the mention of my fallen brothers, I snapped out of whatever trance I was in. This was all possible because they hadn't come to the party. If they had, I might not even be out walking with Brian right now. I felt betrayed – never mind the fact that I should have been elated my brothers weren't around to ruin things for me.

It was strange – I'd arranged my entire night around having to avoid the four of them, and, if I could help it, Koda and Rini as well. But I didn't have to worry about the boys – two of them were MIA, and the other two were so infatuated with my best friend that they barely had time to look at me. And where were Koda and Rini anyway?

Why weren't we six anymore? Sure, we all had things to do – it was senior year, what did they expect? But we hadn't been six in such a long time. And was it that we were only siblings when we were in school? When social events came along, did we split up now? Were we no longer the Shepherd sextuplets?

And where the hell was Nate? Wasn't he supposed to always be around? Didn't he promise me that he'd be back for all the parties just to keep an eye on things?

"Maddie?" Brian asked, nervousness flitting across his face. I realized that I had been completely ignoring him, choosing instead to mentally flog my brothers for their lack of interest in my love life.

"What? I'm sorry, I was..." Brian sighed, paused, and took my hands.

"I really want to kiss you," he said. I wasn't sure if he was repeating what he'd said and I'd missed or if he was just fed up with my talking... or lack thereof.

"Oh," was my brilliant reply.

He smirked lightly before leaning in, and then our lips were touching.

It was sweet and slow, completely different than I expected. He tasted good, but it was a taste I couldn't quite describe. This close, I could smell that he smelled slightly like grass and cigarette smoke – I wondered if he smoked. That was a huge turn-off.

Maybe one of his parents smoked. Or maybe he'd gone to a sports bar before this and had been surrounded by smoke. Or maybe he'd gone bowling – bowling alleys were notorious for smelling disgustingly like an ash tray.

What the hell am I doing?

Brian MacMillan was kissing me and all I could think about was where he might have gone before the party to make him smell like smoke.

I was kissing him back, I think. Brian deepened the kiss and I tried to concentrate on what I was doing – but it was hard. Suddenly I had a million thoughts racing through my head. Devin's voice was telling me to make him work for it, Mikey's voice was cheering in the background. Koda shrieked that it was unfair that I got a boyfriend before her, and Rini just quietly congratulated me. Jake and Gabe shouted in my head that I was too young to have a boyfriend; that they didn't want anyone touching me; and that I wasn't allowed to date until I was married with children. But there were voices that were suspiciously silent, and that was because they weren't here.

Nathan and Bennett Shepherd – both of their voices remained missing from my stream of consciousness as I kissed Brian MacMillan in Devin's backyard. And suddenly, I was angry. How dare they not come! How dare they not witness this blatant disregard for their rules! They'd all sworn to protect me from men and their ways, but yet here I was, practically having sex with someone I'd just met, and no one was going to stop me! I could strip down right there and have my way with Brian MacMillan, and Nathan and Bennett would have been none the wiser.

I pulled away suddenly. It was right in the middle of what appeared to be a hot and steamy kiss (not that I'd noticed), and Brian looked flustered. "What? Are you okay?" he asked.

Aw, that was sweet. At least someone cared about me.

"I uh... it's late... it's really, really late," I lied, pretending like I knew what time it was.

"It's only..."

"Yeah, but – I had a late night and I woke up early and... I have to... tomorrow is... church. I have to go to church tomorrow," I made up. "And it's early – super early... like six-o-clock early."

"Your church starts at six-o-clock in the morning?" he asked skeptically.

"Uh... no, but I have to get up at six because... I take an abnormally long shower on Sunday mornings. It's like a ritual. You know, I do all the stuff I don't like to do during the week, and I let the conditioner set..." I clamped my mouth shut. Was I seriously talking to Brian MacMillan about what I did in the shower? I was pretty sure he could imagine it, and to tell the honest truth, as flattering as that was, I didn't want him imagining it anymore than he might already. "Sorry," I apologized.

Yes, I'm sorry for being a psycho...

"Maddie, I didn't mean –"

"No, really... it wasn't you, I promise," I told him quickly and honestly. I stared into his eyes, begging him to believe that it had nothing to do with him or his kissing... once again, not that I would know. I sighed and stepped away from him. "Call me tomorrow?" I asked.

Brian nodded, still confused and slightly winded from our kiss. I wondered if it had been that good – how could it have been if I wasn't even paying attention to it? I groaned and began walking away, my heels clicking on the stones. I glanced back and saw Brian mouth 'Church?' and then run his hand down his face. I groaned even louder and started to pick up the pace. I couldn't believe what I'd just done.

I'll just go back! I'll just turn around and tell him I was kidding about church.

But I didn't turn around again. I got into my car, somehow managed to pull away, and drove off. I didn't even say goodbye to Mikey or Devin. I hoped they would realize I was gone when they saw Brian alone.

I felt terrible, and I pulled out my cell phone and set an alarm for later that night – I was going to text Brian and apologize. Then I could only wait and see what happened.

It was my own damn fault if nothing came of this – after all, everything had been set up for me. Devin and Mikey had played their parts, why couldn't I have finished the scene? Hell, even Brian had played right into our plan, acting jealous when he was supposed to act jealous and approaching me right when he was supposed to approach me. Why had I so royally screwed up?

Ten minutes later, I pulled into the HUB parking lot in State College and shut off my engine. Parking was free on the weekends. I got out and raced from the parking garage.

I walked down Shortlidge Road, my heels clicking annoyingly as I walked. It was a Saturday night in the number 6 party school in the country, so I blended in perfectly in my short dress and heels. I turned when I reached College Avenue and I turned left. After two minutes, I reached Stephens Hall, the hall that I'd moved Nate into late August, more than two weeks ago. I knew he was on the fourth floor, and that knowledge was just going to have to get me to his room. I was going to see him, and I was going to demand he tell me why he wasn't at the party. If need be, I was going to tell him what happened between Brian and I, just so that he could see the repercussions of his actions.

I waited outside for someone to come by, then I busied myself with my purse to make it seem like I was looking for my card to swipe to get in. They let me in without question and I raced up to the fourth floor. I was so angry and upset that I didn't even think to take the elevator. By now, my feet were killing me since I'd spent the entire night in three-inch heels.

The fourth floor of Stephens Hall smelled like men. It had that distinct cologne smell, but it also reeked of garbage and overcooked food. I scrunched my nose up and began searching the doors. Since they were only a few weeks in, most of them still had their name tags on the door. However, after a quick walk-through, I didn't find Nate's. So I knocked on the first room where I heard noise and waited.

A girl answered the door but then was pulled down quickly by a guy. She giggled loudly and swatted at his hands, and he just smirked. The roommate jumped up quickly and opened the door farther. "Hey, sorry," he said.

"No worries – do you know what room Nathan Shepherd is in?" I asked.

"I think he lives in 404," he said, pointing down the hall and past the bathroom. "Hang on..." He came out in his gray tee shirt and basketball shorts and padded barefoot down the hall. "Are you his girlfriend?" he asked, looking me up and down once before returning to his miniature tour of the hallway.

"Hardly," I answered, but I didn't tell him who I was in relation to Nate. I'm not sure why.

The kid glanced around when he reached room 404. "Yeah, this is it," he said, waving to the door.

"Thanks," I said appreciatively. He nodded and went back down the hall to his room. When he was gone, I knocked loudly and impatiently at the door. I waited a second before knocking again. I turned after the third knock and huffed, stomping my heeled foot on the ugly tile floor. Who was he not to come to the party and then to not answer his door?

But then the door swung open. "Yeah?" he asked. I turned and stopped. It wasn't Nate.

"Oh," I muttered. For some reason, I'd completely neglected to think about Nate's roommate. He hadn't been there when we'd moved Nate in, so I hadn't seen him before.

He was taller than me by about an inch (but I was wearing three-inch heels). He had short, dishwater blonde hair and light blue eyes, and he was tan, probably from a summer spent at the beach. Judging by his clothes, he looked wealthy.

"Uh... can I help you?" he asked suspiciously, glancing around the hallway to see if I was alone.

"Sorry, I'm looking for Nathan Shepherd – is this his room?" I asked. The kid snorted and nodded.

"Sure, but he's never here on the weekends. He leaves Friday night and doesn't come back until late Sunday," he said. "I don't know where he goes."

"Really?" I asked. But this kid had no reason to lie to me. "Huh."

"Yeah, sorry I can't be more help... I can tell him you stopped by though," he said.

"Uh, no that's okay, I'll just call him later," I said quickly.

"Right, okay," he affirmed. I supposed that right then was the time to leave, but I didn't. I just stood there in the middle of the fourth floor hallway, and Nate's roommate just lounged in the doorway to his room, watching me stand in the middle of the fourth floor hallway. "Who are you?" he asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Sorry," I said immediately, "I'm Maddie, Nate's younger sister."

"Oh," he said. He held out his hand and shook mine, "I'm Adam Fischer," he introduced. "It's nice to meet you."

"Same here," I replied.

"So were you out on the town?" he asked, jerking his head to his window. I looked into the room briefly and saw a fantastic view of downtown State College from his window.

"Oh... no, I was at a party at home – I just came to see Nate afterwards... I didn't realize that he went out," I mumbled.

"He has every weekend since we've been here, and, like I said, he stays out. I don't think he comes back once. He packs a bag and everything."

"Wow," I mumbled. That wasn't the Nathan Shepherd I knew. What had changed in the three weeks since he'd been at school? "That's... different."

Adam smirked. "Do you want to come in for a little bit? Who knows, he might break his tradition and come back this time," he offered. I smiled and shook my head.

"No, that's okay... like I said; I'll just call him sometime. Thanks, Adam."

"No problem, Maddie," he answered. I sighed and went back down the hall, my heels still clicking. I glanced back and saw Adam still watching. When he saw me look, he smiled, waved, and closed the door. I turned the corner by the trashcans, wrinkled my nose, and then entered the elevator.

So Nate was out at a party of his own? And he went out every weekend and stayed out? My short conversation with Nate's roommate was jarring. What was Nate doing? Why had he changed so drastically since three weeks ago when I'd last seen him? Sure, he was in college now, he was allowed to party – I certainly wasn't going to stop him – but every night of the weekend? What if he had homework? Was he keeping up? Was Nate having a difficult time adjusting to school, so he went out and partied?

I sighed as I walked back up Shortlidge Road. I doubted Nate would tell me anything if I called him. That was just how he was.

I got back into my car and drove back home. I took off my heels as I entered the house and then quietly tiptoed up the stairs. When I got into my room, I sat down heavily at my laptop and flipped it open. Facebook was open, like always. I refreshed the page and grinned. I had a new friend request. Thinking it was from the party, I clicked it open.

Adam Fischer has sent you a friend request!

I grinned. Adam, huh? Well, there was no reason why I couldn't be friends with Adam on Facebook. It wasn't like it meant anything. And even if I never saw him again, it was always nice to make new friends – and of course, nothing's official until it's on Facebook.

A/N: Hey guys! So thanks to everyone who read this story! This is the chapter that I was looking forward to - it's long... 17 pages, single spaced, size 12, Times New Roman font long. Sorry about that, I didn't mean for it to get so lengthy. Some people like really long chapters - others, not so much. I'm not sure where I stand. Anyway, I am sorry about the atrocious length of this one... it got out of hand. But it was fun to write, and I hope you had fun reading! So Adam is finally introduced... I bet you were wondering who he was in the pictures section huh? -waggles eyebrows- Actually probably not.

If you read, PLEASE REVIEW!! THANK YOU!!

Love,
Deppfan31