Chapter 03: The Trouble With Parties

Kyle should have seen it coming, he really should have.

Because Sam was curious and cheerful and eager to learn everything he could about life on land, so of course he'd want to go to the damned party. Not that he'd actually say so. Instead he kept asking Kyle if he was going to the party, and then why he wasn't going, and then if it was really alright for him not to go. So Kyle told him that yes, it was fine, and if it wasn't that was too bad because he was still not going.

It would have worked out, if it hadn't been for Sam feeling bad about the whole thing. Because apparently, Sam thought Kyle wasn't going because of him, because he didn't want to leave Sam alone at home(which wasn't completely untrue). So he insisted that Kyle go while he stayed home with Charlie, which would have sounded fine if Charlie hadn't been a cat.

"Sam, Charlie is a cat, he's not proper company," Kyle said plainly.

"Don't say that, and I'll just watch T.V. while you're gone," he probably would too.

Kyle had reintroduced Sam to the magic of television and the young merman had been entranced by it since then. Apparently, it didn't matter what species one was, no one was immune to the spell of television. It would have been funnier had Sam not found infomercials so fascinating.

"No, Sam," and that was that, or so Kyle thought.

He didn't know how he had done it, but Sam had convinced him to go, and not just that, he had managed to tag along. Kyle couldn't really blame him though, because he was the one who had suggested it, and Sam hadn't actually done anything. He just looked too damn dejected, and Kyle couldn't stand it so he asked Sam if he would like to go to the party for a bit, just so he could see what it was like. Immediately, Sam had agreed.

So now they were heading to Mara's house, which was close enough that they decided to just walk there. Sam looked pretty happy as he walked next to Kyle, dressed in more fitting clothes than the one's he'd had earlier. It wasn't long before Kyle could see the place and the people entering the house for the party.

"Alright Sam, just don't wander off when we get there, okay?" he told the redhead.

"I won't," Sam answered instantly.

Kyle hoped he wouldn't, but at least he would try to stay with Sam.

As soon as they got to the house, they were met with Mara, who seemed very pleased that Kyle had shown up. She didn't seem all that happy to see Sam, though.

"Kyle, you came after all," she said.

"Yeah, well it would have been rude not to show up," Kyle answered, though that was exactly what he had been planning on doing.

"And you brought you friend," she said, not sounding too happy about that in particular.

"I didn't really want to leave him all alone at home," he said with a shrug.

"Don't you think he's a bit too young? I mean, there's some people drinking after all," Mara told Kyle, looking over at a group of young men who held plastic cups with beer.

"It'll be fine, I'll keep an eye on him and we're not staying too long anyway," Kyle waved off her concerns.

Mara fought to keep the displeasure she felt out of her face and managed to smile.

"Right, I hope you have fun, then," she said, and then left Kyle and Sam on their own.

Kyle had to drag Sam along, because he was too distracted looking around to really pay much attention. In the end, he managed to get them to a less crowded part of the house where Sam could do all the staring he wanted without having anyone knock him over. At least there weren't so many people staring at him, if only because half the people were drunk already.

"So, is this like the parties back home?" he asked Sam.

The younger boy laughed and shook his head.

"No, not really, but it's interesting," he said simply.

"A bit loud, though."

That was something Kyle could agree on, because some idiot had just tuned up the music and it was shattering his ears. But that was probably because he hated the song anyway.

"Let's go outside," Kyle said, or more like, screamed in Sam's ear.

He took his hand and dragged him out because there was a strong possibility that Sam still hadn't heard him. At least outside things were a bit calmer.

The deck still had plenty of people, but the music wasn't as loud and it was nicer than the crowded house. A fresh breeze swept through and the lanterns hung over them lit the place nicely along with the light of the setting sun. Definitely better than the inside, Kyle thought.

"What are those?" Sam asked, pointing to the lanterns.

"Lanterns, maybe we can get some later to put on the deck back home," Kyle said, leading Sam away from the people dancing outside.

Sam leaned against the railing and looked at the dancing people, seeming rather content. Kyle supposed it wasn't such a bad night if he could manage to entertain Sam. Maybe it was even a good thing, because the merman needed to get used to people if he was going to be on land for the Summer.

"Humans dance oddly," Sam commented offhandedly.

Kyle's brow raised and he looked down at Sam as he stood at his side.

"Oh really?"

"Yes, but it's probably because I had never seen anyone dance with legs," Sam said matter-of-factly.

Kyle laughed, because he couldn't imagine anyone dancing without legs.

"Right and I suppose a tail is so much better," it was a good thing that the music was loud enough that no one could hear them.

"Yes, and it's so much easier to use. Legs are strange," Sam shot back.

And Kyle remembered something he had been meaning to ask Sam.

"Hey, how is it that you can walk so easily? I mean, I thought you'd have to get used to them or something, but you could walk fine even back when we were kids."

"Well I'd been on land before," he admitted.

"There's a few islands and spots on the beach where no one ever goes so we walk around there sometimes. I used to play with the sand there with a friend when I was little, but I hadn't been on land since the last time we met. Since my legs were different this time it took me a bit to get used to them but I was alright by the time you found me," Sam explained.

"Huh, well, never thought you'd actually wander around on land. Are there any of you guys living on land?"

Sam shook his head.

"Nope, we just visit sometimes. Not very often though because we could get caught."

That seemed sensible, and Kyle remembered that Sam had said he'd nearly been caught.

"Hey, did you really almost get caught?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah," Sam turned back to look at the people in front of them.

"But it was a long time ago. Hey what's that?"

Kyle was a bit surprised by the sudden change of subject, but turned to where Sam was pointing at a girl who had just walked by with a plate full of cake. It was rather colorful because they had gone with the whole beach theme so it was hard to miss the bright blue frosting, especially for Sam.

"That's cake, it's food, but I don't think it's the best thing for you," Kyle said, because the last time he had seen Sam they'd learned that there were some things that merfolk couldn't eat.

Kyle thought it was probably because they weren't used to all the artificial junk they put in food, but back then they were kids and didn't know any better and Sam was pretty good at getting his way. Still, having a sick little merboy because he'd eaten sweets and drank soda(both of which probably had zero natural ingredients) wasn't an experience Kyle wanted to repeat. When he looked back at that Summer, he realized it had been a miracle Sam hadn't gotten sicker from all the other junk Kyle fed him.

"Can I try a little bit?" Sam asked.

He gave Kyle a look that was practically begging to get his way, but Kyle refused to give in.

"No, it'll probably make you sick," and he said it in as firm a voice as he could manage.

"Oh, okay," Sam sighed, and he looked absolutely dejected.

"It looks really good."

Kyle sighed and cursed himself because he just knew he'd let Sam get his way eventually, so he might as well just get it over with.

"Fine, but just a little piece," he gave in.

Sam smiled brightly and Kyle led the way to the table that had been covered in party food. He had to admit, Mara had done a pretty good job with the food. There were sliders, chicken wings, cupcakes with blue frosting and chocolate shells, chips, about four kinds of dips, all sorts of drinks, salads and of course, the cake.

He hadn't realized how hungry he was until then, but he was still careful when he picked out foods, sticking to the healthier choices. Kyle liked to call these, "merfolk approved" foods. Sam was examining the drinks just a bit further down the table, and Kyle made sure he didn't get any beer without knowing it. As unsure as he was about what was bad and what was good for Sam, he was pretty damn sure alcohol was really bad.

Kyle was reaching for some cake when Mara approached him with a wide smile and a drink in hand.

"So, having a good time?" she asked them.

"Yeah, you threw a good party. Looks like everyone's having a good time."

And it really was a good party, even if Kyle would have rather stayed home. He supposed he was just odd like that.

"How about your friend, having fun?" Mara asked, setting down her drink and looking over at Sam.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about bringing him without asking if it was okay. He wanted to come and I didn't really want to leave him back at the house on his own."

"It's fine," Mara waved him off.

"I was just worried seeing as he's so young. But I'm glad you're having fun. I have to go now, you know, need to be a good host and all, but don't forget to say goodbye before you leave."

"Yeah, sure, and thanks again for having us."

Mara grabbed her drink and left Kyle after that, and he went back to the food before him. In the meantime, Mara headed towards Sam, who was looking at the straws, decorated with hibiscus flowers, curiously.

"You're Sam, right?"

He turned at the mention of his name and smiled when he recognized the speaker.

"Uh huh, your name is Mara, right?"

"That's right, having fun?" she asked pleasantly.

"Yes, it's a very nice party," Sam said honestly, because he really was having fun observing things.

"Well thank you, Sam. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

She noticed Sam was holding an empty cup, and her smile widened a bit.

"Oh, have you had anything to drink?"

Sam shook his head.

"No, not yet, I was just about to get something," he told Mara.

"Well why don't you try this?" and she handed him her own cup, still full with bright red fruit punch.

"I'm sure you'll like it, I just got some."

"Thank you," Sam said, taking the offered drink.

"You're welcome, now please excuse me, but I need to find my friend. Have fun," Mara said cheerfully, and then walked off to join a group of other guests.

Sam looked at the drink in his hand for moment, but figured it was fine if it was made with fruit, and he didn't think Mara would give him anything with alcohol(though Sam wasn't sure what that was, but Kyle thought it probably wouldn't be good for him).

"You had to get the one red drink they had."

Sam grinned up at Kyle, who had just joined him with two plates full of food.

"It looks pretty," he said simply.

"Of course," the young man deadpanned, handing Sam a plate and fork, before grabbing a can of soda.

"Come on, let's go back outside."

The two managed to make it back out onto the deck without spilling anything, something Kyle thought was an impressive achievement. It was already dark as they sat on an empty bench and the lanterns looked even better in the night. The ocean was dark and calm as it washed over the shore not far from where they were. All in all, it was a nice place to be in, and Kyle was kind of glad Sam had convinced him to show up.

"This is really good," Sam said, through a mouthful of food.

Kyle looked over at him and saw that Sam had already eaten about half a slice of cake while he had been distracted looking at the sea.

"Hey, you were only supposed to eat a bit," Kyle accused, taking the food away from Sam.

"I did," the redhead answered.

"You ate more than half."

"It was a small slice," Sam shrugged, taking a sip of his drink.

It really wasn't, but Kyle knew it was no use arguing. He watched as Sam scrunched up his nose and gave the punch a curious look.

"This tastes odd," he stated.

"It's fruit punch, I don't think you've had it before so of course it tastes funny," Kyle shrugged, taking a drink of his own soda.

"If you don't want it leave it and get something else."

But of course, Sam decided to finish the drink anyway. Kyle had to comment him for his sense of commitment.

They sat there for a while, eating and drinking and watching the others. A couple of girls sat by them and they chatted for a while. They were very pretty and nice, Kyle thought, it was a shame they were half drunk and seemed more interested in Sam. Apparently, he was "adorable", and Kyle nearly laughed because Sam was too much trouble to be adorable. He still remembered when they were kids and Sam would wander off and get into some sort of trouble. Still, Kyle had to admit, Sam was a pretty cute kid back then. It got them free stuff sometimes so he couldn't really complain.

It was pretty funny to see Sam look so flustered though. Seemed like the merman wasn't used to so much attention, or maybe he wasn't used to dealing with women(or maybe it was just human women and mermaids were okay). Kyle couldn't help but laugh when one of the girls kissed Sam on the cheek before leaving with her friends.

"They were nice," he said with a grin.

Sam gave him a half-hearted glare that came out looking more like a pout.

"Humans are strange," he muttered, and leaned back in his seat.

"Really? That's funny, I always thought you were the weird one," Kyle joked.

Sam leaned against Kyle, head resting against his shoulder.

"You're being rude," he accused not noticing the odd look Kyle was giving him.

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Sam spoke again.

"Kyle."

"What is it, Sam?"

"I don't feel very well."

Kyle frowned and pushed Sam back, looking at him carefully. He had to admit, he didn't look too good either. If possible, he was even paler than usual, and his skin felt clammy and cold.

"What's wrong?" he asked Sam.

"I just feel sick."

Kyle sighed and stood, pulling Sam up.

"See, this is what happens when you eat a huge slice of cake that you know will make you sick, you get sick."

"It was half a slice," Sam muttered, leaning against his friend.

Kyle would have kept arguing, but he felt kind of sorry for Sam. He really didn't look good and he knew he had to feel worse than he looked.

"Well, either way, you're sick and we're going home," he said.

"Oh, are you leaving?"

Kyle stopped and turned to be met with Mara. She looked at Sam, who probably would have fallen over is he hadn't been leaning on Kyle, and her brow rose.

"Your friend doesn't look too good."

"Yeah, he doesn't feel too well either. I think it's best if we just head back home."

Mara nodded in understanding.

"I'll help you get him to your car," she offered.

"We walked here," Kyle told her, and he was starting to think Sam wouldn't be able to walk back because he was only really half-conscious.

"Oh, I don't think he'll make it back," Mara pointed out.

"Listen, why don't you take him upstairs to one of the guest rooms. He can sleep it off there and I'll drive you back after the party."

Kyle was seriously considering accepting the offer, but he didn't want to stay any longer or bother Mara. Unfortunately, by that time Sam was only standing thanks to Kyle's hold on him and he knew it would be best to let him rest for a while.

"Yeah, that actually sounds like a good idea," he agreed.

Mara smiled and led him upstairs and Kyle had to pretty much carry Sam the whole way, and he was really glad Sam was a scrawny kid.

"Here you go," Mara said, opening the door to a guest room.

Kyle dropped Sam onto the bed and the merman turned on his side and basically curled up to sleep.

"Sorry about this," Kyle said with a sigh.

"I don't know what happened. He was fine a minute ago."

That wasn't really true, because when Kyle thought about it, Sam had started looking odd a bit after they had started talking to those girls. He should have noticed, but he was too distracted making fun of Sam for being so awkward around women to really pay attention.

"It's fine, I'm sure he'll just sleep it off and then you can go home. Why don't you come back down in the meantime?" she said.

"No, I think I'll just say here and keep an eye on him. Maybe he'll wake up and we can head back."

Mara's smile fell a bit, but she nodded.

"Okay, just come downstairs and look for me if you need anything."

Kyle thanked her before she left, and then sat on the armchair in the corner of the room.

It was a while before the party finally ended and Kyle had dozed off for a bit, but woke up when someone knocked on the door. Mara entered a moment later and looked over at Sam, who was still sleeping, before motioning for Kyle to join her in the hall.

"Still asleep, I see," she said.

"Yeah," Kyle sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I don't think he's waking up any time soon."

Mara nodded and offered a small smile.

"Well, if you want you can stay here for the night," she told Kyle.

"There's enough room and I think it would be better to just let him rest."

Kyle wished he could, but he thought it would be better to get home, just in case.

"No, it's fine, I wouldn't want t cause you any more trouble."

"Oh, it's no trouble," Mara said, stepping closer.

"Besides, I bet I can find a way for you to pay me back."

Kyle was honestly surprised when she kissed him because really, he had not seen that one coming. It wasn't unpleasant, not really, and Mara was very pretty, but he didn't think it was a good time to make out in the hallway. Gently, he pushed her back, though her arms were still wound around him.

"I really think it would be best if I took Sam home," he tried again, but Mara was persistent.

"He'll be fine," she insisted, leaning forward to leave another kiss on Kyle's lips.

And it was hard for Kyle to push her back, because she was a really good kisser, but he managed it(eventually).

"I don't know," Kyle said before Mara kissed him again, hands trailing up his back.

"It's fine, it was only a bit of beer," she muttered, lips traveling to his neck, but Kyle pushed her off.

"What?" he said, voice slightly panicked.

"You gave him beer? How, and why the hell would you do that?"

Because really, she'd said it herself, Sam was too young, not to mention, of a different species. And yeah, maybe Mara didn't know that, but still, she had given him something she knew damn well she shouldn't have.

"It was only a little," she tried to explain in a haste.

"And it was mixed with punch."

But Kyle wasn't listening to her, he was already moving back to where Sam was.

"Kyle, he'll be fine," Mara tried again, following after him.

"He's sick," and Kyle just barely kept from adding that it was her fault, if only because it was clear enough what he thought.

"I'm taking him home, now."

Sam was still out, but his skin was too warm and his face was flushed and Kyle was blaming himself just as much as Mara because he should have paid more attention. He didn't waste any more time and hoisted Sam up onto his back, intent on carrying him back home.

"You can't carry him all the way back," Mara pointed out.

Of course, she was wrong about that because if Kyle had carried Sam home when he was only seven, he could damn well do it again. So he ignored her and walked right out the house and down the road, once more grateful that Sam wasn't particularly large and that the house was nearby. Still, something told him he was in for a long night.

Hello everyone, and thank you for reading. To those who have reviewed and/or added me to their lists, thank you as well. I hope you've liked this chapter, and that you continue to read because the story is just getting started. Hopefully, I will have another chapter up real soon, maybe early tomorrow, but I might not post it until Monday because I'm going out for a while. Anyways, please review if you get the chance, reviews are much loved and again, thank you for reading my humble attempts at writing.