Chapter One- EmJay

There was reason that EmJay avoided other people's birthday parties. Something always went wrong at birthday parties. The candles fall and someone's clothes catch someone's fire. The guests are attacked by the host's pet. Someone loses something important. On rare occasions, people would go home early due to nosebleeds from fist fights.

But how could she say no to one more party? What harm could one more birthday party do? Besides, it wasn't even a 'birthday party'. In his words, it was a 'social gathering'.

So nothing should happen.

And how could she miss a 'social gathering' with three of her best friends, especially if one of them was the host?

She couldn't.

And so, with much regret and dread, she decided to go.

Arriving at Caleb's house proved to be very nerve wracking; two dogs greeted EmJay at the door. Great, she thought, someone's going home with teeth marks on their arm.

But the dogs just jumped up on her, licking her face and her hand. "Sorry," EmJay said to Caleb, "We got lost."

Caleb shrugged and took her coat from her hand to put away, leaving EmJay to survey the five other guests.

There was a tall boy with dark hair, probably around sixteen or seventeen. Next to him was a short person, with dark skin and very short, curly brown hair. A medium tall boy was not too far off, with dark hair as well- and absorbed with his phone. A girl with really long brown hair. Finally, EmJay saw a familiar face- Jared, Caleb's brother, although with Jared towering above nearly everyone else, his broad shoulders and his sandy hair hidden under the usual fedora, he looked nothing like his brother.

Caleb returned, and the short person said, "So now what, Caleb?" EmJay had to agree with the question, she rather hoped that they wouldn't just end up standing around and staring at each other.

"Well Rose, we have video games and board games and movies and-" Caleb began.

"Look! There's a car!" The tallest person with the dark hair pointed out the window. Trying to see, EmJay was pushed gently aside when Caleb announced,

"Is that Purple?"

The other guests looked confused, but EmJay and Jared exchanged knowing glances before EmJay added, "I hope so."

"Purple?" The short person asked, who EmJay supposed was Rose.

"Megan," EmJay explained, looking out the window as Caleb re-opened his front door. "She goes by Purple."

"I see." Rose concluded, as Megan/ Purple did indeed enter Caleb's house.

"Megan!" EmJay cried, and moved to stand by her friend, now feeling better about coming.

"Hi?" Megan replied as she slipped her shoes off and Caleb re-shut the door.

Her hair was the normal soft brown colour, the ends slightly curled. Her teal glasses perched on her nose, a faint smile playing on her lips. The dark grey long sleeve shirt was covered in the back by Megan's unicorn backpack, and the cutest red skirt covered in black lace came a little past her mid- thigh.

EmJay felt now to casual in her purple tee with a black shrug, and her ripping skinny jeans.

"Caleb? Can we have names please?" Rose asked the host, who was preoccupied with taking Megan's coat.

Jared nodded in agreement. "Names would be helpful," Jared's eyes flicked to EmJay and Megan. "Because they're not going to know anyone."

"Ahh, okay. Ben, Rose, Jared, Evan, Timmy," The girl with the long hair- the name threw EmJay off, "EmJay, Megan." He hesitated, then pointed to himself. "And Caleb."

"No shit, Sherlock!" Ben joked, and everyone laughed.

Pausing to breathe, Caleb choked out, "Hey! Watch your damn language!" The group broke down laughing again.

Caleb and Jared's dad walked into the room, which then got extremely quiet. "Hello everyone."

A few people said hi back, and, satisfied, he disappeared saying, "We've got a lot of food, eat it."

"Yeah, none of you can leave until all of it is gone," Caleb teased, and they all laughed again. "You guys want to blow things up?"

Everyone cheered. Everyone, except Megan and EmJay, who exchanged nervous looks. "What do you mean, 'blow things up'?"

"Explosives!" Jared roared, and Caleb ran to get coats while everyone else tore out of the house and met up in the street.

"Are- are explosives legal?" EmJay questioned, and Megan shrugged as they followed the others outside.

Caleb burst out of the house, handing out jackets, for it was winter, and EmJay was already shaking from the cold.

Caleb, Rose, Ben, and Jared gathered in a huddle, comparing lighters.

EmJay moaned quietly to Megan. "Lighters. Why lighters? I know pretty much all of them have switchblades too, you can see them on their belts . . ."

Megan smiled, and the two girls stepped back as Caleb began lighting a 'firecracker'. This whole thing thoroughly worried EmJay. She knew she shouldn't have come . . .

A sudden BANG! made EmJay and Megan jump, as the other guests and Caleb howled with pleased laughter.

The group in the street took turns lighting explosives, the guys showing Timmy how to use the lighter. After struggling with Caleb's and then trading it for Rose's, Timmy shot another firecracker into the air, and it went off with another satisfying BANG!

"Hey girls, wanna light one?" Caleb yelled at Megan and EmJay, who were standing nervously on the driveway. Quickly, the girls shook their heads. "Not even a smoke cracker? They just smoke, trust me. Just light it up, and tada! Smoke!"

EmJay looked tempted when Caleb clicked his lighter open and a flame danced in the wind. But as a recovering pyromaniac, she knew if she took the lighter, she'd never give it back. Now she distracted herself with drawing and gardening.

Jared marched over to the girls and clicked open his lighter as well. "It's easy. All you have to do is light the fuse, then run like hell." He explained. As an afterthought, he added, "Unless, of course, you want to get burned."

He offered the lighter to them. "No, please. If you give that to me, I'll probably kill myself." Megan said hurriedly.

Jared, slightly disappointed, turned to EmJay. "No thanks." EmJay backed away, transfixed by the flame, "I'd probably . . . light myself on fire . . ."

He shrugged and ran to light another firecracker. This one shot high in the sky and rained sparkling fire on them. Jared grinned in delight.

"Jared's having too much fun with this." Caleb noted, then he turned to his brother and said, "Let Ben put one in the water bottle."

Ben did, and nothing happened, so he chose a bottle rocket instead. He lit the fuse, and it rocketed towards the girls- EmJay yelped and jumped out of the way. It hit the garage, and exploded again.

A dog barked, and the teenagers heard voices arguing in the house across the street.

"GO, GO, GO!" Caleb shouted and everyone rushed into the house, Jared slamming the door behind them.

"That. Was. Awesome." Jared panted, and everyone nodded, EmJay and Megan joining in as not to draw attention.

Across the street, they heard the door slam, and Caleb hissed, "Take your coats off and hide them! If anyone knocks, act natural, and if anyone asks, we were inside the whole time."

The group shrugged off their coats and Caleb grabbed them all, running to the hall to hide them. Everyone flung themselves on the two couches, and Jared turned on the TV, which was in the middle of playing Iron Man 2.

From these behaviors, EmJay concluded that doing or having explosives was illegal, but she kept her mouth shut.

Caleb returned just in time to hear someone ringing the doorbell.